Picking Up the Pieces
by Etcetera Kit
Summary: While touring the world aboard the Nautilus, the past comes back to haunt several League members and they soon split up to face their demons. Complete.
1. Aboard the Nautilus

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

New and a bit alarming- who'd have ever thought that this could be? True that he's no Prince Charming, but there's something in him that I simply didn't see. -Something There, Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast

_What is that you express in your eyes? It seems to me more than all the words I have read in my life. -Walt Whitman_

**Chapter One: Aboard the Nautilus**

Wilhelmina Harker leaned against the railing on the deck of the Nautilus, letting the sea breeze blow strands of her red-brown hair loose. The wind whipped around her face, creating a pleasant stinging sensation, one of the few sensations she was still able to feel. Being a vampire, even one as weak as she, had its drawbacks. She should have been able to feel the warm sunshine on her face, but she felt nothing except for the beginnings of an acute headache. It had been two weeks.

Two weeks since Alan Quartermain died.

Two weeks since she killed Dorian Gray.

And two weeks since Henry Jekyll began to take care of her.

The remaining members of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had decided one week ago to accompany Captain Nemo on a voyage around the world. That had been right after Mr. Q's funeral. There were five of the original seven members left. Captain Nemo, Agent Tom Sawyer, Rodney Skinner, Henry Jekyll and her… they made a motley crew, five people who looked like they would never have ordinarily kept each other company, let alone go on a world tour together. But here they were, taking most of the voyage at the water level so the passengers could enjoy the sun and outside air.

Her eyes swept over the deck. Sawyer, with his blonde hair falling over his eyes in the usual fashion, was practicing shooting at red balls one of Nemo's crew would fire every so often. Skinner, actually wearing clothes but no make-up, was harassing Nemo, as the frazzled Indian captain of the Nautilus gave instructions to crew members recharging the solar panels. And then there was Henry. He was leaning over the railing, far apart from her. His brown hair appeared tinged with auburn in the sun and he was neatly dressed as was his fashion. Henry…

After they had attacked M's headquarters and destroyed his plot, her memory was sketchy. She had chased down and corned Dorian Gray, her former lover. The attack was blurred for everything except the end when she showed him his portrait and he died. She did not remember how she got back to the ship. Someone else had to fill in those pieces. She woke up the next morning.

Henry was sitting by her bedside, gently pressing a cool cloth to her forehead. He looked pale and shaky, but grateful to be alive. The formula had already drained him some and, no doubt, whatever happened between the formula running out and getting back to the ship had taken its toll as well. He smiled gently at her, wearing his shirt and vest but not the jacket and tie which was unusual for him. He handed her a warm mug.

"Drink this," he said softly. "It will help."

She took the mug from him and stared at the contents. Blood… and someone had kept it warm. Someone knew that cold blood was enough to make a vampire gag. The blood was always best straight from the vein… but warmed blood outside its source was a decent substitute.

"Who's blood?" she asked softly. It had to be someone's blood. There were no animals aboard and no one had the time to try and drain the blood from any meat in the kitchen. Perhaps it came from one of the deceased soldiers. She shuddered.

Henry gave her a tired smile and pulled the blankets around her. "Does it really matter whose blood it is?" he asked.

She found out later that it had been Henry's blood. Sawyer had come in later that day to visit her and managed to spill what Henry had intended to keep from her. The American had cheekily grinned at her.

"How was the blood?"

Mina nearly choked on her tea. "Excuse me?"

"Just wondering," Sawyer had defended himself.

"How do you know about the blood?" she asked.

Sawyer suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I watched Jekyll slice his wrist and let the blood drip into that mug."

The boy left when Henry came back in. It was then that Mina noticed the bandage on his wrist and realized that he did not look pale and tired from the formula or what happened the day before. He was pale and tired because he had given his blood to help her feel better. Touched that he would give his blood for her and knowing that Dorian would never in a million years, she smiled as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly, taking her hand.

"I think I should be asking how you feel."

He shrugged, cobalt blue eyes meeting hers. "It's nothing."

"No," she countered, taking his face in her hands. "It was something. It was something Jonathan would have done."

"You loved him?" It was not a statement, but a question.

"I loved Jonathan," she agreed.

"And Gray?"

She smiled sadly. "I never loved that bastard."

From that moment on, she knew that Henry would always take care of her. He probably loved her, if for no other reason than what he had seen recently. And he had been ready to sleep on his feet when she got up and began to help with the patients and Skinner's multiple burns. Nemo was nowhere to be seen as he was helping the scientists and their families settle into their quarters. Sawyer looked ready to faint as Henry had him helping bandage wounds and set broken bones. Mina had rolled her eyes as he gratefully slunk out of the infirmary. For such a bold, high-talking young man, he certainly did not have much stomach for a hospital ward. And Mr. Q was dead.

It had taken them one week to get the scientists home and take Mr. Q's body to Africa where the locals arranged a small funeral. And they arranged for him to be buried next to his son. Soon after the funeral, they had come back to the Nautilus and that had been their home for the past week. After all they had been through together and after all they had seen, no one was particularly eager to get back to the normal hubbub of everyday life. And none of them, with perhaps the exception of Sawyer, had any loved ones to get back to. They were mourning, mourning for Alan, mourning for each other and mourning for themselves.

And the changes showed.

Sawyer had gotten more quiet and subdued since Alan's death and since Skinner's recovery. When they surfaced, he spent hours practicing hitting targets and when they were below, he stayed holed up in his room. What he did in there was anyone's guess. Skinner now wore clothes all the time and seemed to genuinely want to befriend everyone on the ship. But that still did not make him refrain from harassing Nemo when the opportunity presented itself. Nemo was trying to keep control on Skinner before he caused irreversible damage. And Henry… Henry seemed more at peace with himself. Before, he could be seen muttering to himself… or more, to Hyde. Now he just walked with an easy gait and a smile. And he was performing all kinds of unnecessary niceties for her. He would pull out her chair, open doors, walk her back to her room after dinner… almost like Jonathan. Except Jonathan would not have had that passionate look in his eyes.

BANG!

Mina jumped as Sawyer hit a target closer to the ship that normal. Skinner cursed under his breath.

"Warn someone before you do that!" the gentleman thief yelled, slumping against the railing and leaving Nemo alone for once.

She turned to Henry, who was staring the direction of the shot, eyes wide as saucers. He then turned back to the water and the setting sun, muttering under his breath about the 'stupid American.' She smiled. Perhaps things would get back to normal. She had felt like the world would never go on after Jonathan died, but here she was, on a ship full of men.

"Dinner is served."

Mina turned to the Indian who just came on deck.

"Oh good, I'm starving!" Skinner said, entering the cabin first. Sawyer followed him, shouldering the rifle. The Indians who had been working on the solar panels filed into the ship quietly and quickly. Nemo gestured towards Mina and Henry.

"Mrs. Harker… Dr. Jekyll."

Henry bowed slightly to Nemo. "Captain," he replied and entered the ship. Mina followed him, giving a brief smile to Nemo.

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair. The chatter that had mindlessly filled the room before Mr. Q's death was absent. Before, Skinner would have spent most of the meal egging on Dorian and shaking with silent laughter as the previous immortal got madder and madder. Nemo and Mr. Q would have been talking quietly about M or the Phantom. Sawyer and Jekyll would make small talk with Dorian or Skinner occasionally entering their conversation. And everyone tried to politely include Mina, who was not interested in anyone's conversation.

Mina sighed, picking at her food. The food had no taste. Her only incentive to eat was to stay alive. Blood would have satisfied her hunger well, but being on a ship in the middle of the ocean, one had to make sacrifices. And she knew how to feed on her victims without killing them. The killing was a weapon, not a routine. She hated to kill innocents. She abhorred the fact that she had to survive on another's life force. She put her fork next to her plate. There was no way she was going to get any of this down.

Nemo gave her a concerned look. "Would you prefer something else, Mrs. Harker?" he asked. The Indian was always concerned with his guests and that they were happy. If one was not entirely satisfied with the food prepared for dinner, then Nemo would send to the kitchen for something the guest did like.

She shook her head. "No, I'm just not hungry."

Mina looked up and her eyes met Henry's from across the table. He knew what it was she wanted and what she craved. And that was what made her a monster. She did not want Henry to offer her more blood. It was the last thing he needed done to him and the last thing she wanted to do.

His deep blue eyes were drilling a hole straight through her. How could he be so penetrating with just one stare? The look in his eyes said many things- love, passion, concern, a fierce loyalty and understanding. He knew what it was like to be considered a monster. 'Henry, don't look at me like that,' she pleaded inwardly. 'I am the last person you want to love. I'll only end up hurting you. I can't give my heart away again so soon!'

She stood up abruptly and left the table.

* * *

Later, in her room, the headache that had been plaguing her all day intensified. She did not know if it was from the sunlight or the pounding emotions that would not leave her be. She had not thought about Jonathan in so long and his face was a clear image before her eyes. She remembered his gentle nature, his intense love for her. She recalled all the time she had spent learning how to write shorthand and use a typewriter so she could be helpful to him. And she had lost him in the end anyways.

They had no children. And Jonathan had died from the last battle they had with Count Dracula. Quincey Morris died too… Dr. Seward, Lord Godalming and herself had walked away from it, but not before the Count had given her the bite. The transformation was not complete, it never had been complete. If it had been, she would not have been able to tolerate eating food or the sunlight or garlic… but she still craved the blood. But she was eternally grateful that the transformation had never been completed. The Count was afraid of her.

And her life had spiraled. She met Dorian and was intrigued by him. He was so different from Jonathan and his lust overcame her. He did not know she was part vampire and he never needed to know. The passion was enough for a time. And the fact that M had wanted her to convince Dorian to join the League had confused her. How did M know about what had gone on between them? But she did not question it and Dorian joined the League, only to ransack them and their secrets and seduce her again.

A soft knock came on the door. Mina sighed and took a moment to stand up. The pounding in her forehead became worse. It was probably Nemo, making sure she did not want a late supper after the incident at dinner. She pulled her dressing gown securely around her nightgown, knowing it was not proper attire for a lady to be seen in. But it was only Nemo, who lived by an entirely different set of standard than the rest of the world. She did not think he would mind too terribly much or care.

She moved slowly to the door and opened it, taking a moment to register who was really at her door. It was not Nemo. It was Henry. Instinctively, she pulled the dressing gown closed at her throat.

"Dr. Jekyll," she said softly.

He smiled. His smiles were genuine and lit up his entire face. "How many times have I told you to please call me Henry?"

Mina returned the smile. "Many."

"I just came to see how you are feeling."

"I'm fine."

"Liar," he replied, succinctly. "Something is wrong."

She sighed. She was not going to get rid of Henry as easily as she could get rid of Nemo or even Sawyer. "Come in," she said, opening the door all the way. He followed her in and shut the door behind them. She motioned to a chair in the sitting area of the room and took the seat across from him. Henry took a seat easily and loosely crossed his legs. Mina was amazed at how comfortable he was with himself recently. It was like he had conquered his devils.

"What is wrong?" he asked softly, once she had situated herself.

"It's just a headache. It's nothing serious."

Henry leaned forward in his chair. "Is it from the lack of blood?"

Mina shook her head. "No. I've gone longer than this without blood before and we'll be pulling into port in Egypt soon enough."

"Does the sunlight bother you?"

"Sometimes, yes."

He shook his head. "You are nothing like the folk legends I've heard about vampires." His blue eyes became more intense. "Are the legends even true?"

"The legends are true, but Count Dracula never completed the transformation. I had to discover for myself what I can and cannot do. But I need the blood, crave it."

"I'm sure we can find something on the ship."

"Henry, don't trouble yourself. We'll be in Egypt soon."

He shook his head and stood up, a smile playing over the corners of his mouth. "If you do decide you need anything, you know where to find me." He crossed the small space between them and took her hand. Raising it to his lips, he gently but firmly planted a kiss on the back of her hand. He then gave the digits a light squeeze before her left the room. The door closed after him with a definitive 'click.'

Mina sighed and rose from her chair, her head protesting in every way. Why did it seem that the headache stopped just as Henry entered the room? Now it was back. She quickly turned off the lights in her room and got into bed. Henry did not need to be involved with her. He had his own demons to sort out. 


	2. Of Nighttime Lights

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Two: Of Nighttime Lights**

The stars sparkled overhead as the Nautilus sailed smoothly across the deep blue night waters of the ocean. Dr. Henry Jekyll leaned over the railing, taking in the cool wind. Never before had he felt such freedom. First, it was the inherited family fortune and medical school, trying to study and make a name for himself. Then, it was the demands of society and his close friends, Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterman. And finally and most recently, it had been the obsession with separating the good side of a man from the evil side. Perhaps, he had finally conquered Hyde or had accepted him.

But he knew that Hyde was a hidden part of himself and needed to be reintegrated if he ever wanted to be truly whole again. He was afraid of Hyde and, even though Hyde had helped the League, he still wanted to be rid of him. There had been times when he would go to sleep as Jekyll and wake up Hyde, without ever taking the elixir. He sincerely hoped those times were over and he could control when Hyde did and did not appear. He knew what Hyde had done and what ashamed of it. He knew what Hyde had done to him.

And Mina… she was a new factor in his life. It had been some time since he allowed himself to become besotted with anyone. After what happened the last time and after what Hyde had done to it, he shuddered, afraid to embrace his true feelings for Mina, afraid that Hyde would end it violently as he did the last time. Imagine, Edward Hyde, a strong, fearsome character being jealous of him, Henry Jekyll, a quiet mild-mannered doctor who had very little female attention and very little experience in that realm. And, like himself, he knew that the true Wilhelmina Harker dwelt somewhere under the sensual vampire that she was most of the time. He meant to find that Mina and love her.

The ship continued to sail along. They were going wherever the wind would take them, to see the world. Right now, the destination was Egypt. Nemo had some friends who plundered the tombs and pyramids and would be able to give them a better tour than any tour guide they could ever hire. It would be interesting to see the ancient wonders of the world and the archaic but romantic land that everyone imagined when he or she thought of Egypt. They would be lodging for a few days at a prestigious hotel in Cairo where the manager was known for giving luxurious accommodations to wealthy pirates and thieves. They were making Mediterranean stops and would make the rounds of Greece, Italy, France and end up in Spain where they would next decide where to go.

The cabin door opened and closed.

"The stars are truly beautiful on the open ocean."

Henry turned to see Captain Nemo coming onto the deck. The captain came to stand next to him on the edge of the deck.

"They are," Henry agreed. "You don't see stars like that in London."

"In a city as grimy and sooty as that? Never! But the stars are something to see in the deserts of Egypt."

Henry smiled. "I'd imagine."

Nemo gave him a sidelong glance. "Your past haunts you."

"My past will always haunt me."

"Just try to live in the now."

He shook his head. "It's not that easy. I wish it were though. You don't know what it's like to go to sleep one person and wake up an entirely different person without ever having taken the formula. I never knew when that was going to happen and it's terrifying when it does. I went through months of never trying to go to sleep, staying awake, afraid of what would happen if the sleep came."

"Can it still happen?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Nemo gently put a hand on Henry's arm. "You must be willing to face whatever haunts you. Only then, will it truly leave you."

"How?" He turned his anguished blue eyes to the steady and warm brown eyes of Nemo. "How do I face Hyde when he is stronger than me and can kill me?"

"He cannot kill you. To kill you, would be to kill himself and the brute is too selfish for that. Remember, he is a part of you and a part of you cannot be stronger than the entire self."

"It's just so overwhelming."

Nemo smiled. "Some things have to be believed to be seen."

Henry returned the smile that Nemo offered. For someone the world had considered to be a common pirate, the man was true gentleman and full of wisdom and insight that most men only hope to achieve. He turned his gaze back to the water and the white reflection that the side of the ship made when the moon was high and bright. Yes, this was the first time in many years he had felt free.

"Get down!"

He did not have time to think as Nemo forced him down onto the deck. Something zoomed past them overhead, nearly touching them. A wave of heat, as if from a gas lamp, felt as though it had burned a hole through the back of his jacket or at least had come close to.

"What was that?" Henry hissed.

Nemo slowly stood up and watched the sky. What appeared to be a retreating ball of fire was barreling over the ocean. The captain shook his head slowly. "I don't know. I have never seen anything behave in that manner."

"Balls of fire?"

"Aurora borealis." 

"What?"

"It is a phenomenon I have never seen before, only heard rumors of it from colleagues." Nemo's ever watchful eyes followed the diminishing unknown. Henry stood up and straightened his jacket.

"Colleagues, where?"

"In America. Lights that seem to follow the person and at the last minute, turn away. But the light never tried to attack as they did just now."

"What does it mean?"

"I am not sure. But I believe we will be safer inside the ship tonight. I will send word that no one is to be on the deck until sunrise." Nemo paused. "In the mean time, I shall wire a colleague in America and search the library."

"Do you need any help with it?"

Nemo slowly shook his head. "No. I suggest you retire for the evening."

Henry nodded his consent and walked back into the ship. It was only in the cool, dim corridors of the Nautilus that it occurred to him to feel panicked and shaky.

* * *

Henry sat at the small desk in his room some time later, trying to compose a letter. Sleep would not come to him as it rarely did unless it was forced by some drug. The letter in question was to be to a dear friend of his in London, if he could ever decide how to start it. The man had seen Hyde and that was when Jekyll panicked. Hyde had begun to slowly tear apart Henry's personal life and sever all his friends. It almost made him glad that his family was dead. First Emmaline and then Lanyon… Jekyll knew it was only a matter of time before Hyde closed in on Gabriel Utterson and destroyed him too. So he fled to France. If he was not in London, then Hyde was not and no harm would come to Gabriel.

But how to start a letter to explain that he was safe with a pirate on a ship that could sail under the water? And expand upon that to say that he was touring the world with an invisible man, a vampire and an American spy and then to say that he was absolutely smitten with the vampire in question. That was not exactly the kind of letter an old friend wanted to get; especially not an old friend who had been present for Emmaline's and Lanyon's funerals. And yet, some part of him wanted to let Gabriel know that he was safe and well and that Hyde was no longer terrorizing people.

He dipped the pen in the inkwell and wrote:

_August 3, 1899_

Dear Utterson,

And then he stopped. That was as far as he had gotten in his thoughts. How in the world was he going to speak of the Nautilus and Nemo and all the help the League had given him without betraying the confidence of his friends? He thought and then continued:

I am well. I am currently staying aboard a ship with a recent friend of mine.

Henry sighed and scratched out the line. The term of 'a recent friend' would certainly remind Gabriel of the way in which he had referred to Hyde at first. He did not want his old friend to think that Hyde was once more controlling him. The truth would be best, he thought. He would then have to make sure that someone trustworthy delivered the letter, but that would wait. For now, he needed to write the letter.

_I know I frightened you when you witnessed my change from Hyde to myself and I sincerely apologize for it. Knowing that Hyde would turn on you next, as he turned on Lanyon and my dear Emmaline, I fled the country to France, Paris specifically. I had not been in Paris long when I was recruited for a League. A hunter by the name of Alan Quartermain tracked down and captured Hyde. Our adventures afterward were varied, but I have learned how to control Hyde to a degree._

Quartermain died during one of the aforementioned adventures. The remaining members of the League and myself are taking a world tour on a quite splendid ship called the Nautilus. The captain is an Indian gentleman who goes by the name of Nemo. He invented the ship himself- the Nautilus sails on the ocean like a ship but can also sail beneath the waters. I know it sounds incredible but some things have to be believed to be seen. The others from the League with us are a Mr. Rodney Skinner, Mrs. Wilhelmina Harker and Mr. Tom Sawyer, the latter most being an American and a member of the American secret service. Mr. Skinner, let me suffice to say, had an unfortunate incident with chemicals that permanently altered his appearance. Mrs. Harker is a chemist and fought a dangerous evil in Transylvania.

Our next stop is to be in Egypt. Nemo has some connections there that will allow us to spend a few days in one of the more luxurious hotels and see some of the sights. One of the gentlemen has already promised us a tour of the pyramids.

You may ask why I remain here and do not return home. There are issues I must deal with before I can return to London. I know how to be rid of Hyde once and for all, but I am afraid I do not have the strength to do it. There are also other, much more personal matters that must be dealt with and I will speak of them to you when I see you next. But know that I am well and no harm will come to me when I am on this ship. Please extend my love to Emmaline's family for I know they are still grieving.

Your friend,

Henry Jekyll

The letter was superficial and sentimental but it would have to do. There was no way to contain their fantastic adventures on a piece of paper. He quickly stuffed the letter in an envelope and sealed it.

"You still up?"

Henry looked to the door, which he had left ajar. Tom Sawyer was standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets.

"I can't sleep," he replied, stuffing the letter in a desk drawer.

"Can't sleep or don't sleep?" Sawyer questioned.

"Afraid to sleep," Henry countered.

Sawyer nodded. "I see." He paused. "Can I come in?"

"Yes." Henry motioned to the small tray set up in the corner of his room. His room was one of the smaller ones on the ship, but he did not mind. A small sitting area, like in all the other rooms, had been added as an afterthought and after he already occupied the room. The sitting area was two small armchairs and a tiny round table that was low on the ground. The tray was in the corner beyond and held a small decanter of brandy and some glasses.

Sawyer walked over to the tray and poured himself a glass of the brandy. He looked to Jekyll. "Brandy?"

"Please."

Henry crossed the room and sat down in one of the armchairs, taking the glass from Sawyer as he offered it. Sawyer sat down in the other chair. The young man, who only a few weeks ago looked cocky, now held a haunted, frightened look in his eyes. The dark circles under his eyes were testimony to the fact that, as of late, Sawyer had not slept any better than Jekyll did under normal circumstances.

"So why are you afraid to sleep, if you don't mind me asking?" Tom asked as he took a sip of his brandy.

Henry shrugged. "There were times when I would go to sleep as myself and wake up as Hyde. It has not happened in a long time."

Sawyer whistled softly. "I wouldn't sleep either, no matter how long it had been."

"So why aren't you sleeping?"

To his surprise, Tom laughed. "Skinner decided it would be amusing to booby trap my room last night."

"I'm amazed he's moving well enough to do that." He paused. "But, since he is a thief, I'm guessing he did an admirable job."

"If you call ending up with a bucket of water dumped on your head and very sore knees, admirable." Sawyer took another sip of brandy. "Oh and then the butler tried to skin me alive for getting the floor in my room all wet."

Henry smiled, imagining the short Indian chap that was the butler on the Nautilus chasing down Sawyer with a rolling pin or frying pan from the kitchen. "How did he think all the water got in your room?"

"He might have thought that I don't know how to control myself." Henry laughed as Sawyer paused. "But I think he did know Skinner was behind it and Skinner isn't stupid enough to be caught wearing clothes that close to the scene of the crime."

Jekyll studied Sawyer. He had a suspicion that his current edginess had nothing to do with Skinner's pranks. There something deeper wrong with the lad. Sure, he and Skinner would terrorize everyone during the day. But just as often as he spent time with Skinner, he spent time locked up in his room, doing God only knows what.

"Can things ever go back to the way they were?" Sawyer asked softly. "To before Quartermain died… before all of this happened."

So that was the problem. "The wounds need to heal. It's only been two weeks since Alan died, Tom. No one can expect things to right themselves in that amount of time."

Sawyer's dark brown eyes fixed on a spot on the floor while he absently brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes with his free hand. "I just feel responsible for it. M wouldn't have been able to stab him if that damn invisible guard hadn't caught me off my guard."

"You were worried about Skinner," Henry replied in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "Anyone would have been caught off their guard."

"I lost him," Sawyer said in a deathly quiet voice.

"Tom, do you really think he would have wanted the scores reversed? Do you really think he wanted another repeat of what happened to his son?" Unshed tears were forming in Tom's eyes. "Do you think he wanted you to die in his arms?"

"I… don't know!" Tom choked out. "I felt like his son!"

And then the younger man could no longer hold back his tears. The brandy glass slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor with a dull crash, as Tom slid out of the chair, his arms wrapped around his chest. The tears flowed down his cheeks as the silent sobs shook his shoulders. Henry slowly crouched on the floor next to him and pried him out of the semi-fetal position he was in. Tom looked at him briefly before clinging to him with such force that Henry was nearly knocked backwards. The only thing Henry could think to do was to hold the younger man while he cried.

And for the first time in his life, Henry Jekyll felt like a father instead of a blundering middle-aged man.

_ To Be Continued..._


	3. the Heart Grows Older

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Three: the Heart Grows Older**

Henry had eventually taken Tom back to his room last night and tucked the younger man into bed, wondering where the sudden fatherly instinct came from. Sawyer was hurting, that much was obvious, and probably felt like he had no one to turn to. And Jekyll had no idea what to tell him other than what he already had. But, he reflected as he walked to breakfast the next morning, he would probably be seeing much more of Agent Sawyer than he had ever wanted to and would be hearing many more sob stories much in the way a father has to listen to his son.

Dinner was the only meal on the Nautilus that was served at a particular time and everyone was expected to dress somewhat decently and remain at the table the entire meal. However, Nemo was not particularly strict about enforcing any of the rules about dinner. So, consequently, Henry and Nemo ended up being the only people on time, dressed nicely and sitting through all the courses at dinner. Breakfast and lunch were spread out on a side table and people came and went as they pleased. Henry did not know where the rest of the crew dined, because he had only ever seen Nemo, Mina, Sawyer and Skinner in the main dining room.

This morning, the dining room was empty when he entered. It was just as well. He wanted some time to compose his thoughts before running into anyone else. Bright sunshine came through the round windows and the breakfast platters steamed. He quickly filled his plate, got a mug of coffee and sat down at the table.

Too much had happened last night. First it had been the strange lights outside and then it had been Sawyer actually showing just how much he was in pain. And somehow, Henry could not help but think that the strange lights might be more important then Sawyer's self-made misery. But that was not fair to the youth. The lights could have been anything, a strange phenomenon, a trick of the eye. But there was no refuting the fact that they would have burned holes right through Jekyll and Nemo had Nemo not forced them to hit the deck.

"Well, I must say, you're up early."

He turned to the doorway of the dining room. Skinner was standing in the doorway although the only thing visible was Skinner's clothing and not Skinner himself. It was impossible to say if the invisible man was irritated or pleased to have company for breakfast, because he did not have any of the white make-up on that he normally would if wanted anyone to know how he was feeling. Jekyll wondered at the secrecy.

"Astute observation," Henry replied dryly.

"Isn't it?" Skinner chirped and then moved to the side table to fill his plate. It was rather unnerving to see a plate seemingly floating in midair where Skinner's hands should have been, but being a member of the League seemed to have numbed everyone to all shocks of the unusual.

Skinner took a seat across the table from Henry. The fork and knife began to cut up slices of ham and eggs seemingly by themselves. Henry almost rolled his eyes, because, whether he wanted to or not, he was going to get to see Skinner chewing his food. At least, the man had decency enough to wear a shirt so no one would have to see him digest it too.

"Lovely morning," Skinner commented through a mouthful of his breakfast, which, to Henry's eternal distaste, he could see. "What brings you about so early, especially when you had to entertain Sawyer until all hours last night?"

"How do you know about that?" Henry asked mildly, already knowing several possible answers that Skinner could give him.

"His room is next to mine," Skinner replied. "And I was going to the kitchen for a bit of a midnight snack when the two of you came down the hallway."

And he would have been invisible to nick food from the kitchen because the cook had almost walloped him last time Skinner tried to get food and was clothed. The domestic staff on the Nautilus had an extreme dislike for Skinner and his ability to terrorize and make a mess without so much as raising his little finger. The two really ready to throttle him were the cook and the butler.

"What was he so upset about?" the invisible man asked, carefully keeping his voice neutral.

"Recent wounds," Henry replied, trying not to feel sick as Skinner chomped on more of his eggs. The man had probably decided that if he couldn't get Mina to show any interest in him romantically, he could at least have Sawyer as a best friend to raise hell with.

"He's still thinking about Alan?"

"When will he not be?"

Skinner's hat bobbed up and down so Henry assumed he was nodding. "True," he said through another mouthful of food.

Henry quickly stuffed his remaining ham and eggs into a biscuit and got up from the table. If he had to sit here with Skinner and watch one more bite of food roll around in his rather exposed jaw, he was going to be sick.

"Leaving so soon?" Skinner asked in a voice that was supposed to be surprised. Henry figured he probably knew the reason.

"I'll enjoy the rest of my breakfast in the library."

Skinner shrugged. "Suit yourself."

* * *

Mina gazed critically at her reflection in the mirror. Another perk from the fact that the Count had not been able to complete the transformation was that she could still see her reflection in a mirror. Hopefully, she was late enough to breakfast that Henry had already finished and she would not have to look into those cobalt eyes and know what they said. Maybe Sawyer would be there and she could have a casual conversation with him, although she knew what he wanted too and it was nothing like what Henry wanted. She would even welcome a conversation with Skinner and endure his antics.

Things were not going to get any better, she thought. She might as well go down to the dining room and see what was being served. The first few nights on the Nautilus almost no one from the League came down to the dining room, preferring to take dinner in their rooms. But by the time they were facing M in Mongolia, everyone was in the dining room and talking loudly to cover the tension in the air. She almost missed that inane chatter about everything and everybody, nothing and nobody. That was when one could learn about his or her companions. And their love lives…

She could recall overhearing a part of the conversation Jekyll and Sawyer were having about past love interests. Jekyll had mentioned someone named Emmaline and how it did not work out quite like he had planned. Then Sawyer had launched into a huge story about how everyone in the town thought he and his best friend, Huck, were dead and they saw their own funeral and a girl called Polly had been crying for them. Mina recalled Jekyll's mild smile as he politely listened to the youth chatter on. But then, that was one of Henry's strong points. He would listen to anyone about anything.

Master the patient art of listening and being fully present… then you will be heard…

As she turned for the door, she realized how many people on this ship did listen to the concerns and troubles of everyone else, how many of them cared. It had take much for them to learn to care for one another… and Nemo had always been there to hear stories and listen to heartaches. Only now, did she realize that Henry did the same thing, but did not solicit himself for that service. If someone came to him, he would listen, but the person had to make the first move.

She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, only to almost run straight into Sawyer, who appeared to be on his way back from breakfast.

"Mornin', Mrs. Harker," he said, stepping aside quickly so she wouldn't run into him.

"Good morning," she replied.

"Headed to breakfast?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. You?"

Tom shrugged. "I was actually looking for Jekyll. Skinner said he was at breakfast but left, saying he was going to the library. Well, he wasn't there."

And it appeared that Tom was headed for Jekyll's room, Mina thought. What could have made Tom suddenly decide that he wanted to pal around with Henry? Normally, the great pals were Sawyer and Skinner… not Sawyer and Jekyll. That was strange and stranger still because both of them had been vying for her affection in their own way. Why two former rivals were now friends was odd, but encouraging in a way.

"Did you check his room?" she asked.

"Where I'm headed," Sawyer replied and took off down the hallway.

A pair of floating clothes passed by Sawyer, greeted him and then came up to her. But before Skinner said anything to her, he turned and yelled to Sawyer, "He's not there either! Look on the deck!" The invisible man paused. "On second thought, wait to find him until lunch! Him and Nemo are discussing something odd that happened!"

Mina rolled her eyes. "Skinner," she said in a controlled voice.

"Why hello my darling damsel!" Skinner replied, taking off his hat in an exaggerated flourish. "If you ever turn into a damsel in distress, you know where to find me!"

"You are the last person I would want to rescue me," Mina muttered under her breath as Skinner continued down the hallway.

Well, it looked like she was going to be able to have a nice quiet breakfast since everyone else appeared to be occupied elsewhere.

* * *

Nemo frowned as he poured over the leather bound journals in the library. Jekyll had taken a stack of the journals up to the deck to read with the stipulation that if he found anything, he was to come to the library immediately. There was something tickling the back of his mind about lights like that, an old superstition or witch doctor saying, but he could not for the life of him remember where he remembered hearing about that. Or who said it, for that matter.

Well, his guests on the Nautilus seemed comfortable enough. At least everyone came to dinner now, rather than taking it in their rooms. But, he reflected, after the selection for dinner the first night when everyone was aboard… perhaps he should not have let the cook make the stuffed shark delicacy that the Indians liked, but the British and American guests were disgusted by. He supposed that if he had been American or British, he would have preferred to eat in his cabin as well and not brave a dinner with completely foreign foods. Now that the cook made things they were familiar with, everyone was more than willing to sit through the meal.

The captain turned the page in the journal. He was probably not going to find anything in this one. It was an account of some Mediterranean voyages several years ago. There would probably be nothing about old superstitions in it.

The door to the library banged open and Henry Jekyll rushed in, laying the journal he had been reading on the table in front of the Indian captain. Nemo recognized the journal as one he himself had written about some African journeys.

"This talks about a superstition concerning the stars," Jekyll was saying, pointing to the passage.

Nemo leaned over the journal, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Jekyll must have left his jacket on the deck and his tie was loose and vest unbuttoned. Right now, he looked more like a batty assistant librarian than the normally composed doctor that he was. Nemo quickly scanned the passage.

_A witch doctor in the small port town we visited insisted on giving myself, my first mate and second mate a tour of the village. We obliged him since the rendezvous with Ali is not due to take place until tomorrow. He also seemed a bit unbalanced, but we went along._

After a tour of the village, which was nothing more than grass huts and cooking fires, he pointed to the night sky. He explained that everyone who dies turns into a star and looks down upon the ones they left behind. However, he said that if the people want to send a message, the stars may attack. The phenomenon I believe he was speaking of is known as aurora borealis or aurora australis since we are in the southern hemisphere.

He looked up at Jekyll. The doctor was having trouble trying to disguise how pleased he was with himself and since no one ever thought the gentle doctor amounted to much, when he was helpful, his happiness showed.

The passage was curious.

"Do you suppose someone is trying to send us a message?" Jekyll asked.

Nemo slowly shook his head. "I don't know. I can't think of any reason for someone to try and send us a message."

"Nor can I. I mean it may just have seen some phenomenon that we had the misfortune of almost running into."

"Perhaps." Nemo paused. "Perhaps we should change our course for central Africa and track down the witch doctor."

Jekyll shrugged. "We could. But I think everyone else should have a say in what we decide."

"Yes. Let us go to Egypt as planned and then see about this. I will have someone keep watch on deck tonight to let us know if anything else happens."

The doctor nodded. "Sounds like a decent plan. I'll go get the journals I left on the deck and bring them here." Jekyll turned and disappeared down the corridor. Nemo looked down at the passage in front of him. Allan Quartermain couldn't be trying to contact them, could he?

* * *

Sawyer walked into the dining room for lunch and it was full. Everyone seemed to have gotten the idea to eat at the same time and all of them converged on the place. Nemo was sitting at the head of the table, carrying on what appeared to be a civilized conversation with Skinner, for once. Jekyll was sitting across from Skinner and Mina was sitting next to Jekyll. She smiled at something he said. Sawyer felt a sharp pang of jealousy. But as quickly as it came, he brushed it away. Mina had every right to talk to Jekyll whenever she wanted and Jekyll was his friend. Why should it matter if Mina decided she suddenly fancied Jekyll over Sawyer?

But it did matter. Sawyer drew in a deep breath.

"Ah! Mr. Sawyer! Join us!"

Tom forced a smile at Nemo's jovial tone and went over to the side table. He picked up a plate and filled it, not paying much attention to what he served himself. He then took a seat next to Skinner and returned the smile Mina gave him. Her words right after M attacked the Nautilus came back to him loud and clear.

"I thought Americans didn't give up so easily."

She had said it in light of what his interest in her was. And now she was cozying up to Jekyll like she had never said anything. He would be the first to admit that he had not followed up any of the advances after that- they were all to busy to find corners for romancing in. Tom inwardly shook his head. He should have seen it earlier, right after Jekyll gave her some of his blood. He could not imagine so casually slitting his wrist and letting his blood drip into a coffee mug of all things. But Jekyll had done it and he hadn't. But Jekyll was also a doctor and had probably helped with and performed surgery before, so why would the sight of his own blood be any different than a patient? It meant nothing…

But that was not it. He had pretty much unburdened his entire soul to Jekyll last night. He could ask the man what he felt for Mina. And if he did fancy her, then it would not ruin their friendship. Sawyer promised himself that. He did not want to lose Jekyll and Mina as friends if they did start courting. And he would if he got jealous.

"Tom? Are you all right?"

He snapped to attention at the sound of Jekyll's voice.

"I'm fine," he said softly. "Fine." But even to himself, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that.

He caught Jekyll's concerned look, but busied himself with eating. He figured he'd be hearing about this later today.

_ To Be Continued..._


	4. Change of Plans

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Four: Change of Plans**

Sawyer walked out of the dining room after lunch, leaving before everyone else. He needed to calm down and rationalize some things before he felt like facing any of them again. His emotions were spinning out of control and they were taking his temper and mood with them. This had to stop or he would go insane. How much use would he be to the American Secret Service if he was declared insane?

Someone suddenly grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop in his tracks. He had been so distracted he didn't even notice the footsteps behind him.

"What was that all about?"

Tom found himself face to face with Jekyll.

"What was what all about?" he countered, not ready to tell Jekyll any of the things that had been running through his mind.

"Your behavior at lunch!"

"Jekyll, I'd rather not talk about this right now to you."

Jekyll rolled his eyes, his grip on Tom's upper arm tightening. He hauled Sawyer to the nearest empty room and shut the door. Sawyer had to admit, that for a man who seemed so weak and mild, he certainly had a temper when it struck him. Maybe that was a sign that Hyde was finally integrating himself back into Jekyll. He let go of Tom. Sawyer crossed his arms and stared at him. Brown eyes met intense blue eyes.

"Is this about Quartermain?" Jekyll asked softly.

Sawyer sighed and sank down into an armchair. This room was one of the many lounges scattered throughout the ship. Jekyll sat down across from him.

"I don't know how to explain it," Tom started. "I mean Quartermain's death threw me off guard- I never thought he'd die. And then I thought Mina was finally returning my affections and then I didn't have any time to return it because we had to repair the ship and then I see you and her at lunch and-"

"Wait a minute!" Jekyll interrupted. "This is all about Mina?"

Sawyer nodded, sagging against the chair.

"If you care that much about her, then why don't you tell her?"

He snapped to attention. "I thought you loved her too?"

Henry smiled and shook his head. "I do. But the true Wilhelmina Harker is not the woman we see all the time."

"How so?"

"Being changed to a vampire, even if the transformation is not complete like it is in the case of Mina, changes a person's spirit and personality." Jekyll paused. "It makes that person more voyeuristic, more of a-" He stopped, grasping for a word.

"Scarlet woman?" Sawyer supplied.

Jekyll started and then laughed. "Where did you hear that?"

"That's what my mother calls them," Tom muttered, turning red.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But the only way for that tendency to go away is for the person to go back to being human."

"How can you change someone who's a vampire back to a human?"

"You would have to kill the vampire that made your vampire that way."

"So we would have to go to Transylvania and kill Dracula for Mina to become human again?"

"In theory, yes."

Sawyer slumped in his chair. "Incredible," he said weakly. "How do you know all of this?"

"Folk legends. Nemo had a great variety in the library."

Tom nodded weakly. "Amazing."

Jekyll leaned forward. "Look, Tom. Mina is a grown woman and it is her choice whether or not she wants to go back to Transylvania and kill Dracula. It is also her choice about who she bestows her affections on."

"But-"

"Tom, if she chooses you, I will still love her and I will be secure with the fact that she ended up with a man I know and trust."

Jekyll got up and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Sawyer stayed where he was- slumped in an armchair. He had expected Jekyll to have a great variety of reactions to what he just told him, but he was not expecting the one he got.

* * *

The world was about to end. Everyone was at dinner on time and wearing their best clothes. Nemo looked amazedly at his fellow League members. Who were these people and what had they done with the real Skinner, Sawyer and Mina? Jekyll was dressed nicely, but he always was whether or not the others were. And an amiable conversation filled the air as everyone sipped their wine and waited for the cook to bring out the first course. It would almost feel like a group of old friends taking a ship tour together, if strange things didn't happen (which they almost invariably did around this bunch.)

Well, now was the best time to ask the others if they would mind their course changing to Africa so he could track down a suspicion he had. He lightly tapped on his water glass with his fork to get their attention. Everyone politely became quiet and focused their attention on Nemo. He nearly fainted. What had gotten into these people this evening?

"I propose we have a change of course once we reach Egypt."

Everyone looked at him with a puzzled expression except for Jekyll who already knew that he was going to propose it. But it was Skinner who spoke first.

"We're going to Egypt?"

"Do you pay attention to nothing?" Mina asked him irritably, looking very annoyed with the fact that she had ended up sitting next to him.

Sawyer snorted into his water glass.

Jekyll just shook his head. "Captain Nemo did give us an idea of where we were going and said that our next stop would be Egypt."

"Well, excuse me!" Skinner retorted.

This conversation was turning into a conversation they would normally have. Nemo cleared his throat rather loudly, ending anymore argument over Skinner's attention span.

"Where would we go after Egypt?" Sawyer asked, stating the obvious question that Nemo had been hoping someone would ask.

"Kenya."

"Weren't we just in Kenya?" Skinner asked.

"Skinner, shut-up!" Mina snapped.

"Why Kenya?" Sawyer asked loudly.

"I would like to do some research on a phenomenon Jekyll and I saw last night and my records show that a witch doctor in one of the pirate villages might know something."

"What did you see?" Mina asked, fixing her attention on Jekyll. The flicker of jealousy that crossed Sawyer's face did not go unnoticed by Nemo.

"I suppose the best way to describe it would be a shooting star that tried to attack us," Jekyll said carefully.

"What?" Skinner exclaimed, nearly dropping his wine glass.

"That is what it was," Nemo agreed. "We would go to Egypt as planned and spend the time there that we wanted. But then we would go back the way we came."

"I'm not so sure I want to go back to there," Sawyer said with an obvious shakiness to his voice.

"We will decide when the time comes for us to leave Egypt. We should be there tomorrow morning."

Everyone nodded and fell silent. And Nemo could think of many reservations they may have with going back to the interior of the Dark Continent.

* * *

Mina sighed as she sank into one of the armchairs in her room later that night. It was getting late and she was feeling the craving for blood become stronger. She would be able to have blood tomorrow morning… tomorrow morning… it seemed like such a long way away. And now Nemo wanted them to go back to Africa… and Sawyer seemed to have renewed his interest in her. What she wouldn't give to be in her small flat in London, making tea, away from all the men vying for her attention.

She almost wished wasn't a vampire, even the weak part-vampire that she was. But the only way to undo what was done to her was to travel back to Transylvania and kill the Count- run a stake through his heart, cut off his head and fill the mouth with garlic. And what good would she be to the League if she was no longer a vampire? She was a chemist, which was the original reason everyone thought she was a member of the League. She did not understand why she was so besotted with Dorian when he was a stuck-up narcissist.

_"Come on, Jekyll! We'll need Hyde!"_

_ "No! Hyde will never use me again!"_

_ "Then what good are you?"_

Dorian, Dorian, forever seeing people only as a useful skill or trait, never as a person or someone to be loved and respected. Jekyll had been nothing more than a powerful beast for defeating the enemy. Sawyer was nothing more than a good shot with a gun and the driver of the automobile. Quartermain was much the same as Sawyer. Nemo provided the comfortable ship and Skinner had stealth. And her? She was what he used for his own pleasure. They were not people with feelings and thoughts, they were objects to be used.

But now dear Dorian was dead and it did not really matter what he thought of everyone- not that it had mattered in the first place. The five of them remaining had been brought together under strange circumstances and they shared an equally as strange friendship and bond that was not going to be broken anytime soon. But they all had demons to face. Perhaps they should just cut the trip short and go home to work out their problems. And yet, the four other people in the world who understood demons the best were right on this ship with her.

Oh well. Egypt tomorrow and fresh blood… when they first began their journey, she would prowl the corridors and growl at people when she was craving blood. Within a few days, Nemo had asked her to please stop because the crew was frightened she would try to feed on them. If she fed on the butler and the cook, that would save Skinner a lot of problems.

Someone knocked on the door- loudly. That immediately ruled out the two people she would expect and brought in Skinner or Sawyer. But she could not imagine what Skinner would want at this hour of the night, so it had to be Sawyer. She quickly buttoned her dressing gown and checked the ties at the neck of her nightgown. The men on this ship had a distinct talent for catching her in her pajamas.

Mina opened the door. It was Sawyer. Did no one ever sleep on this ship?

He smiled nervously. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hello, Agent Sawyer," she replied, carefully keeping a formal and neutral tone of voice.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I'd just like to talk to you for a minute."

Mina sighed. Suddenly, Sawyer had become harder to get rid of as well. And the theory on people sleeping was going out the window. They must all roam the ship at night when they were supposedly sleeping.

She nodded and stepped aside to allow Sawyer in the room. Surprisingly, she had never seen anyone else's room- they all seemed to come to hers. Her chemistry equipment was cleaned and neatly placed on a table.

"Why don't you sit down?" Mina offered, gesturing towards the armchairs. Sawyer shook his head.

"It's not necessary. This will only take a minute."

As he stepped closer to her, her only thought was, 'Don't do this, Tom!' But he did it anyways. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders as he fit his lips to hers. She could feel the fire and passion in that kiss… the desire. As he deepened the kiss, exploring the velvety softness of her mouth, she remembered Jonathan and the way he kissed her like that. Only the passion wasn't so hot that it would soon burn out. She was barely aware of Sawyer as he gently ended the kiss, his hands still on her shoulders.

A tear slipped down her cheek. Sawyer suddenly backed away.

"Oh my God," he said more to himself than her. He looked up, brown puppy dog eyes hurt from what he assumed to be rejection. "I am so sorry."

She shook her head. "No, Tom. It isn't like that."

"No. I understand. You're in love with Jekyll."

"Tom, sit down!" she said, using the tone of voice she used with her best friend Lucy when the girl was being frivolous and silly. Surprisingly, he obeyed. She perched on one of the armchairs opposite his. She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "How do I say this? I know Henry cares for me, but I don't want a relationship with either of you right now."

"But what you said, before Mongolia-"

"Was said in the heat of the moment." Sawyer looked even more hurt than before. "Tom, you don't want to be with someone like me. I would always be a danger to you, never knowing if I would fed on you. And the only way to change that is to travel to a mid-European country and kill the most powerful vampire ever."

"Yeah, Jekyll said as much," Tom muttered.

A soft smile graced her face. "I see you two are conspiring."

"No. He told me to back off and quit acting like a kid. You'd decide when you were ready to."

Mina gave a rueful laugh. "He didn't say that."

"That was the essence of it."

"And how do you two know about Dracula?"

"Nemo has a collection of folk legends in the library."

She smiled. "Tom, I already do care for both of you, but what neither of you seem to understand is how dangerous it would be to love me."

"Gray did."

"And look what happened to him."

"He was a jerk."

"Yes, and my husband died trying to kill Dracula for me so that I would not have to live life as any part of a vampire. My best friend died because of Dracula. A man who cared about her died. The two people I cared about most in the world are dead because of it." She paused. "I don't want either of you to die." Her voice trailed off to a whisper.

Tom nodded and stood up. "Well, I had better go make sure Skinner didn't booby trap my room tonight."

"I'm sure the butler would appreciate that."

The door opened and closed. Mina and Sawyer turned. Nemo came in the room carrying an armful of lanterns and then lights on the ship went out.

"Nemo, what's going on?" Sawyer hissed.

"An intruder. We cannot be sure of anything. The crew is gathered in their mess hall. We still need to find Jekyll and Skinner." A lantern came on, illuminating the room.

Mina looked at Sawyer. "I'll get Henry, his room is close by."

"I'll find Skinner- our rooms are next door."

Nemo nodded and handed each of them lanterns. "Meet me in my office. Avoid making noise and only use the lanterns when you have to." With that, they split up in three different directions.

_ To Be Continued..._


	5. Unexpected Guests

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Five: Unexpected Guests**

Jekyll froze as the lights on the ship went out. What in the world was going on? Nemo was usually more careful with his inventions. It couldn't be a mere technical glitch, could it? Something like this had never happened when he was aboard the Nautilus. In the vague hazes of his memory, he could remember Nemo explaining that the lights went out in an emergency and if that was the case, they were to make their way to his office. But how was he supposed to get to Nemo's office in the pitch black dark? Lanterns and candles were not stored in the cabins and he was not sure where the nearest supply cabinet was.

Footsteps echoed down the seemingly deserted hallway. Henry frantically tried to think of a weapon that he had in his cabin that he might be able to use against an assailant. Nothing came to mind except the elixir and there was no way he was going to let Hyde out if it was not critical. He could hear the protests of Hyde's voice in the back of his mind, but pushed it out. No wonder he always panicked and let Hyde out- Hyde never let him think clearly in perilous situations.

The door opened and dim light flooded the room. The effect was like that of a supernova on his eyes. He shaded his eyes against the light and blinked.

"Henry?" a voice hissed.

"Mina?"

"Thank God!" The lantern and the voice moved closer to him until he could make out Mina's face. For a fleeting moment, he was glad he was still fully dressed and not in his nightshirt. Mina grabbed his arm. "We need to get to Nemo's office." She closed the shutters on the lantern.

"In the dark?"

"Do you know the way to Nemo's office?"

"Not in the dark! Do you?"

"No."

"I thought vampires had some sort of night vision."

"This one doesn't."

"Oh."

The words fell flat into the darkness. Mina was still clutching his arm and her fingernails were digging through his shirt sleeve. Her hand was shaking. He gently pried her hand off his arm and let her clutch his hand tightly rather than leave odd shaped bruises on his arm.

"What's going on?" he hissed.

"Nemo said there was an intruder on the ship."

"Then why are we all wandering around in the dark instead of trying to capture it?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask."

Henry shook his head. There was more to this than Nemo had told anyone and they would probably not get any answers until they went to his office. He gently took the lantern from her and opened one of the shutters a crack. A thin beam of light fell onto the floor, once more illuminating Mina's terrified face. Leaving the lantern like it was, he tugged on their joined hands and pulled her out into the hallway.

"Where are we going?"

"To Nemo's office."

"But-"

"I think we have enough light. Calm down! You are a vampire!"

"Oh." She seemed to have temporarily forgotten that. Henry almost smiled and shook his head, a glimpse of the real Mina who was obviously not as calm and collected in an emergency as she pretended to be. Hands still connected, they took off down the corridor.

* * *

Sawyer leaned against Nemo's desk, careful not to knock over the single candle that was placed in the middle of the desk. He, Nemo and Skinner had been gathered in the office for over an hour and there was still no sign of Jekyll and Mina. They couldn't have gotten lost on a ship that had been their home for more than a month, could they? As highly unlikely as it seemed, Sawyer could not imagine Jekyll had much of a sense of direction and it was probably worse in the dark.

"Should we go look for them?" Sawyer asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Ten minutes," Nemo replied, carefully loading a gun by the candlelight. Sawyer rechecked his Winchester for what seemed like the hundredth time as well.

"He said that ten minutes ago," Skinner muttered.

Well, when the thief was right, he was right. A sudden clattering caused Nemo, Sawyer and Skinner to scatter away from the desk. It had sounded like pens falling to the floor. Sawyer's heart pounded in his chest. He watched in amazement as a pen, as if being picked up by an invisible hand began to write on a piece of paper.

"Skinner? What the hell are you doing?" Sawyer asked, his voice quavering.

"I'm right behind you," Skinner whispered, neatly giving him a shove in the back. Sawyer looked over his shoulder, catching the corner of Skinner's hat and a glimpse of the white make-up.

'One of those invisible assassins M had isn't on board, is he?' Sawyer thought to himself, secure with the fact that Skinner was behind him. The pen dropped down to the desk.

As if in a trance, the three of them walked over to the desk and looked at the writing on the piece of paper. It was vaguely familiar- tall and square and cramped. But it was not the writing or the strangeness of the situation that shocked them, it was what the message said.

_ Jekyll and Mina are safe._

_ They will arrive in the morning with an unexpected guest._

_ You will arrive in Egypt as planned._

* * *

"Face it, we're lost," Mina whispered.

Henry sighed. She was right. They had been wandering around the ship for the better part of an hour, according to his pocket watch and had yet to make their way to Nemo's office. They were not going to find it tonight. He felt for a doorknob along the wall and opened the door. Well, at least they had found one of the lounges on the ship. But there was no telling where this one was located since they all tended to look alike. Mina stepped in behind him and shut the door. He pulled some blankets from the supply cabinet in the wall as Mina set the lantern on the coffee table and opened all the shutters. Bright, white light flooded the room.

"We should probably stay in one place, so if they start looking for us, they can find us."

"Good idea," Mina replied, her voice tinged with sarcasm. Henry ignored the barb and handed her a blanket. "How do we get lost on a ship we supposedly know our way around in?" she grumbled to herself.

"At least we're not down in the bowels somewhere."

"And you're so bloody optimistic all the time!" She shook her head. "How can you stand it? To see your dreams broken and remain happy."

"I never said I was happy," Henry said softly. Mina unfolded the blanket and collapsed onto one of the small couches in the room. Her blue eyes seemed more intense in the low light as her hair fell in soft waves over her face. He shook himself. Now was not the time to be getting amorous ideas about anything, especially not when she was in her nightclothes and he was still fully dressed minus his jacket.

"What would make you happy?" she whispered.

"What would make _you_ happy?" he countered, pulling off his tie and throwing it over the arm of a chair. He put his vest with his tie and sat down on another armchair.

"Not being a vampire." Her eyes followed him as he unfolded his blanket. "I suppose you would want to be rid of Hyde."

"I do," he acknowledged.

"Well, at least you don't have to kill someone to be rid of your curse. You have to reconcile it to yourself."

"You don't know how difficult that is."

"Try me."

"Hyde doesn't want to go away!"

He didn't realize how loudly he said it, until he saw Mina start. She pulled the blanket up to her neck, drawing her feet underneath her. "Sawyer kissed me tonight," she said in a barely audible voice. "He fancies me."

"I thought you knew that," Henry replied, tensing. He did not want to hear about Tom's advances on Mina. He knew that Sawyer loved her, God help him, he knew that. But he did not want to hear it from Mina. Hands shaking, he pulled his blanket around his shoulders.

"I did. But I never thought he would continue with it. I'm older than him and seen more than he ever has. He's not much more than a boy, playing at being the hero."

"He loved Allan."

"He did. I would have gone with him for a fling. But he is not looking for a fling. Dorian tried to spare me embarrassment by initially saying he was a friend of my family's. I know what I've done and I know what my past is. Sawyer doesn't see that. He sees some sort of angel he's put on a pedestal." 

"Are you looking for someone like… like Jonathan?"

Mina turned her gaze to him and he basked in the warmth of those blue eyes, not tainted with red for once. "I already found someone like Jonathan."

It took him a moment to realize that she was talking about him. "And what would you have me do?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice.

"Love me. Love me and not the vampire."

"Done."

He stood up and crossed the room to her. She curled up on one end of the couch, allowing him room to sit next to her. He held out a hand to her and she took it. Gently pulling her into his lap, he smoothed back her slightly disheveled hair. She tilted her head back and smiled, breath warm on his neck and body hot against his.

"Henry," she breathed.

"Mina," he replied. He lifted her head up and gazed into those blue eyes for a moment before softly kissing her lips. She responded with more eagerness and passion than he could have ever expected. One long kiss melted into another as he explored the velvety depths of her mouth and felt the desire course through his body. He vaguely recalled the vow he and Emmaline had made to save themselves for their wedding night. That hadn't happened. He didn't think Mina would complain about it now. His fingers clumsily undid the laces at the neck of her nightgown. He pushed back the thin lace and fabric and planted a kiss on her collarbone, delighting in her satisfied sigh.

Mina suddenly pushed away from him and stood up. He felt a momentary sense of panic, fearing he had done something wrong. But he was entranced as she slid her dressing gown off, leaving nothing but the thin white cotton of her nightgown. He stood up and gave her a lingering kiss before she pulled both of them down on the floor, his body covering hers. The heaviness in his groin that he had been trying to ignore doubled. He pushed the nightgown off her shoulder.

"Make love to me," she said with a sigh.

"But the noise and the-" She cut him off with a finger on his lips, her hands undoing the buttons on his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. Her hands ran over his bare chest and suddenly he didn't care how much noise they made.

"Are you sure this is entirely proper?" he said as a last ditch attempt for her to back out of a situation that could hardly be backed out of.

She gave him a lazy, mischievous smile and he suddenly didn't care about that either.

* * *

Mina sighed contentedly and snuggled up against Henry's warm body, delighting in the feel of skin upon skin. Gray light crept through the window, indicating how early it still was. He obviously did not have as much experience as she did in the bedroom realm, but he learned quickly what pleased her. No man had been interested in giving her any pleasure since Jonathan and he had to struggle to give it. Henry had been both concerned about her pleasure and had no trouble giving it to her. Why no one had snapped him up before was beyond her.

She propped herself up on one elbow and gazed at Henry's sleeping face. He looked so content and peaceful when he slept, nothing like the tense, edgy man he could become. She lightly traced his jaw line with one finger and planted a kiss on the corner of his lips. Yes, Jonathan would have been pleased to know she had chosen Henry Jekyll.

Henry suddenly smiled. "All right! I'm awake."

Mina laughed as he pulled her torso on top of him, snuggling her head under his chin. She sighed and rested her head on his chest, hands lightly on his shoulders. His hands were around his, holding her body close to his. If anyone was to walk in, they would have to pull the blankets up a little higher than their waists. And it was not a proper situation to be caught in anyways. They needed to get up, get dressed and figure out where they were in the ship. But that all seemed to be in some hazy, far-off world that did not seem to matter.

"You're right, this isn't entirely proper," she said.

He laughed. "I don't think it really matters now. Although I'm surprised a search party hasn't come looking for us."

"Or the intruder hasn't found us." She paused. "How did Nemo know there was an intruder on a ship this big?"

"He has his ways."

They fell silent. Mina listened to the sound of his heart beating. The predictable, rhythmic pounding soothed her and she felt her eyes grow heavy. For whatever reason she could not explain, she was not in the least tempted to feed on him. But then, perhaps some cravings satisfied others nicely.

"Henry?"

"Hmmm?"

"Would you marry me someday?"

She felt his smile rather than saw it. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Dorian never would have."

"I would in a heartbeat. That's the difference." Mina smiled to herself as his fingers gently stroked her hair. "Just as soon as I get the money for the ring-"

She pushed herself up so she was looking into his eyes. "I don't need a ring."

"But-"

"No." She laid a finger on his lips. "Neither of us can afford anything right now. We don't need rings to know what we truly feel. We know it and that's enough."

His next smile lit up his entire face. She knew that he strongly believed in being proper and doing the right thing, but if she could only convince him to put it on hold for a while. They did not need to get married until they sorted out their lives.

"Well, good morning."

Mina gasped scrambling for the blanket, as Henry quickly made sure that it was covering both of them. She looked at the person who just entered the room.

And found she was looking at… Allan Quartermain?

_ To Be Continued..._


	6. Landing In Egypt

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Six: Landing In Egypt**

"Oi! Sawyer!"

Tom shook himself from a light sleep. The last thing he remembered was sitting down at Nemo's desk and burying his face in his arms. And what that was jabbing in his ribs? He looked over to his left side. Skinner was poking him in the side. Tom swatted his hand away.

"Shove off!"

"The captain wants us in the dining room."

"Why?"

"I don't know!"

Sawyer sat up and looked around the room. Golden sunlight was pouring in the windows of Nemo's office. The office itself looked much the way it had when he had fallen asleep. The piece of paper was still where it had been on the desk, no one willing to touch it. His rifle was still across his lap. Nemo's gun was still lying on the bookshelf where he had left it at first light. Skinner began tapping his foot loudly.

"All right!" Tom said loudly and stood up. "I'm assuming we caught the intruder."

To his eternal surprise, Skinner did not give a cheeky remark or make some comment on the inability of Nemo and his crew to catch one intruder. The invisible man shifted from one foot to another. "In a way."

Sawyer rolled his eyes and followed Skinner out of the office and down the hall to the dining room. And he stopped dead in the doorway. Allan Quartermain was sitting at the dining room table with Nemo, Jekyll and Mina, carrying on a quite pleasant conversation. 'We've died,' was the only thought Sawyer had. 'Someone blew up the ship and we've all died. That is the only way that this is possible.' The conversation slowly came to a halt as everyone acknowledged Skinner and Sawyer's presence.

Allan looked the same as he did before he died. He stood up and crossed the room to Sawyer. Tom felt like fainting. It wasn't possible. No one came back from the dead- ever! They had to have died. He took a step backwards and ran straight into the butler.

"Excuse me, Mr. Sawyer!" the butler said in a highly accented voice so it came out more as, 'Exscoose me, Meester Soyer.' The butler looked up at Allan. "Ah! Mr. Quartermain! I was wondering if you would like the same chambers you had during the last voyage." The short little Indian fellow was dressed in all white, complete with a turban and towel over his arm. Sawyer sluggishly got out of the butler's way because he was known to hit people over the head that did not move immediately.

Allan smiled at the butler. "That will be fine, Hasaan."

The butler bowed and backed out of the room. Tom stood rooted to the spot, staring at Allan as if he had seen a ghost. Skinner shoved him in the shoulder.

"He's not a ghost, Sawyer," Skinner said matter-of-factly. To prove his point, Skinner walked up to Quartermain and poked him in the arm. "See, I can't go through him, so he must not be a ghost." Allan swatted Skinner's hand away.

"Skinner, shut-up," he growled.

"Why is everyone always telling me to shut-up? What do I say that everyone finds so irritating? Why don't you tell Sawyer to shut-up?"

"Because Sawyer doesn't run his mouth off all the time," Quartermain replied through clenched teeth.

Skinner muttered something under his breath and threw himself down in the chair next to Mina. She rolled her eyes, obviously sick of Skinner trying to sit next to her all the time. She scooted her chair closer to Jekyll, who was on the other side of her. Sawyer was too distracted to even notice or care.

"How?" he asked Allan weakly.

"The witch doctor," Quartermain replied simply. "I have been sent back until my task is complete."

"Oh," Sawyer nodded, not knowing what else to do. Quartermain grabbed his upper arm and guided him to a chair before he lost all control of his muscles. Tom sagged in the chair across from Jekyll. Allan sat next to him.

"Captain, we're coming into port," the new first mate on the Nautilus said.

"Excellent," Nemo said, standing up and striding to the control room. "Everyone be ready to go ashore in half an hour."

The occupants of the room stood up and within a few seconds the entire dining room was devoid of life except for Sawyer. It was only then that he chose to fall over.

* * *

This hotel is gorgeous, Mina thought to herself as she walked to the large floor-to-ceiling windows in her room. Whoever Nemo's contact at the hotel was had put them in a series of suites on the top floor of the hotel. The rooms were lavishly furnished with every luxury one could imagine, including the modern bathrooms. A meeting room was also reserved specifically for their use and they could meet there or even eat dinner without fear of some undesirable person overhearing their plans. It was, in fact, a brilliant set-up. The owner and manager had not been in the least way shocked to see Nemo or the rest of the League. And the presence of a known pirate and an invisible man they just took in stride.

They would spend three days here. The League could do as they pleased, provided that no one got arrested. They could see the sights, visit the pyramids and cities, while the crew was replenishing the supplies and doing routine maintenance on the ship. And then there was Allan. She had been more shocked at seeing Allan again than she was embarrassed at being caught in a less-than-proper situation. It was the same for Henry. Once they had realized it really was Allan and not some trick of the mind, the full implications of what he might think had set in. But Mr. Q had smiled and told them to get to their rooms and get dressed. He would explain everything on the way to the dining room.

She strongly suspected that he had something to do with the fact and she and Henry had adjoining rooms. The rooms were connected by a door located inside the rooms. They could come and go in each other's rooms and no one would be the wiser.

"The view is lovely." Mina whipped around and then relaxed. It was Henry. He smiled apologetically at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's all right."

The rooms on their side of the hallway had a view of the marketplace and from a distance the bright colors and tents and classic marketplace paraphernalia gave it a romantic charm. The rooms across the hall had a view of the alleyway between the hotel and the building next door. She had heard Skinner and Sawyer out in the hallway complaining about it.

"Allan has called a meeting before lunch."

She smiled as Henry crossed the room to her and pulled her into his arms. She settled against his chest and sighed, glad that Mr. Q had not told anyone yet. For now, she wanted it to remain their secret. No one needed to know the details about how Mr. Q had found them although she was sure it would amuse Skinner to no end and give him harassment ammunition for months, perhaps years.

"Why?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know. I was just instructed to pass on the message." He paused. "Were you surprised to see Allan again?"

"Around this bunch? I've come to expect anything to happen."

He laughed. "You have a point."

"What time is the meeting?"

"Eleven-thirty. We have-" He took out his pocket watch and looked at it. "Twenty minutes."

"I suppose we can think of something to do with twenty minutes."

He inclined his head towards her. "I suppose we can."

* * *

The meeting room was about the same size as the dining room on the Nautilus. The only difference was the rich, dark colors and thick brocade fabrics everywhere as opposed to the gleaming white decor on the ship. Sawyer leaned back in his chair and surveyed everyone else sitting around the table- the usual group with some exceptions. Allan was at the head of the table with Nemo sitting to his left. Tom, himself, was to his right and Skinner next to him. The only ones missing were Jekyll and Mina. Of course, Mina was usually late, but Jekyll? That man was never late.

What Allan had told him since they settled in the hotel had shocked and unnerved Sawyer. The pretense of why he had been sent back, how that was even possible and how he knew so much all of a sudden was swimming in his mind. None of it seemed possible and then the old mantra of 'anything happens around here' kept repeating itself through his mind. His companions were, in every sense of the phrase, extraordinary gentlemen.

The door burst open and Mina and Jekyll hurried in the room. They both looked flushed and slightly rumpled as if they had run some way to get here and hurried to look presentable. And their joined hands did not go past Sawyer. He glanced to Allan.

"So sorry," Jekyll began to apologize. "We lost track of the time."

"I'm sure you did," Quartermain said, trying to hide his amused grin. "Sit down." They took the empty seats next to Nemo.

Tom felt his mood blacken. Mina had told him that she did not want a relationship with him or Jekyll and here she was making every pretense that she was doing something with Jekyll. What was Jekyll that he wasn't? 'Lots of things,' an inner voice told him, but he pushed it away as soon as it came. Something had to be straightened out here.

"Sawyer, contain your jealousy," Quartermain hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

His mouth dropped open in amazement. How did Quartermain know about any of that? Or what did Quartermain suspect?

"I think Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Harker have something to tell us," Allan continued as if this was the normal way to start any conversation. He also sounded more like a father coaxing something into the open that would result in hurts if left unsaid.

"We do?" Mina asked, looking confused.

"Or would you prefer I tell them."

"Er-" Jekyll trailed off without saying anything. The pair of them suddenly looked flustered and extremely embarrassed. Sawyer narrowed his eyes.

"Is the term 'engaged' or 'lovers'?" Allan prompted.

A pink flush appeared high in Mina's cheek bones while Jekyll's eyes nearly popped out of his head. The doctor made several noises in the back of his throat but nothing coherent. Sawyer suddenly wished that something very bad would happen to Jekyll.

"Ah… we hadn't decided… yet…" Jekyll trailed off yet again.

"A wedding?" Skinner asked, his voice sounding pleased. "Oh I love weddings! Drinks all around!"

"Skinner, shut-up!" Quartermain growled.

"It's true?" Sawyer asked, standing up. Mina nodded weakly. "But I thought you said-"

"Things change, Tom," she quickly cut him off.

"YOU SAID IT LAST NIGHT!" he yelled.

"Sawyer, sit down!" Allan said loudly and stood up. He then pushed Tom back into his chair. "Please remain seated."

Skinner, on the other hand, was having the complete opposite reaction from Sawyer. He was shaking with silent laughter and pointed one gloved finger at Jekyll. "We have to get him drunk now," he said through rib-cracking laughter.

Tom scowled, his emotions running back into the spiral. Allan was back, sure, but Allan was not going to stay. He had thought that Mina liked him enough to consider a relationship and in the space of less than twenty-four hours Quartermain was asking Mina and Jekyll if they were going to remain lovers or actually get engaged. He felt a the slow burn of jealous hatred start in his heart and spread out all the way to his fingertips and toes. Jekyll was nothing! He was quiet, weak (unless he was Hyde), nothing like the way a proper man should be! A proper American man, an inner voice said. Jekyll was nervous and twitchy and… a… coward! The only thing that him anything worth respecting was the fact that he could change into Hyde!

God, they had played him for a fool. But not anymore. They could take their little love affair and their lives and stay away from him!

"Almost makes me wish I was the one lost with Mina last night," Skinner muttered.

Sawyer snapped his head towards Skinner. "What?"

"I was just saying that I almost wish I was the one lost with Mina last night," Skinner repeated and then looked in the direction of Henry and Mina. "But they do look well together."

He looked the same way as Skinner and, with a sick feeling in his stomach, he had to admit that Skinner was right this time. Hell, they even had the same hair color.

"Oi! You all right?" Skinner poked his side.

"Do you have any idea how irritating that is?" Sawyer asked him impatiently.

The thief just shrugged. "It gets your attention." He paused. "But look on the bright side, we can throw Jekyll a bachelor's party and get him stinking drunk. Imagine the possibilities!"

Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "Can you imagine Jekyll drunk?"

"Yes," Skinner said with satisfaction. "And it is the funniest thing in the world!"

"I'll bet."

The angry ball of fire that had ripped through his very soul began to cool down, leaving him with a weak achy feeling. He wasn't angry or envious, he was just sad, sad that he had lost any chance he had with a woman who intrigued him.

"Gentlemen!" Nemo called, getting everyone's attention. It never failed to amaze Sawyer how six people could turn a seemingly peaceful table into a wild cacophony.

"We're going to split up when we get out of Egypt," Quartermain said.

"Why?" Sawyer asked.

"You'll see."

Skinner elbowed Sawyer in the ribs. Sawyer shrugged in return. Quartermain stood up, indicating the meeting was over. "That's the most pointless meeting I've ever been to in my life," Skinner declared.

Sawyer had to agree with him. Whatever was going on, it certainly was being kept a good secret.

The doors to the meeting room opened and the first mate came in. Behind him were two other crew members, holding an armful of maps and rolled up papers. It looked like Nemo and his crew were calculating their next course of action, because Quartermain joined them in a little huddle around one end of the table, indicating that no one else was invited. He gave one last glance to Mina and saw her and Henry smiling at each other… Sawyer shook himself inwardly. He had lost her and he was sad… even though he never really had her in the first place…

Henry whispered something to Mina and they left the room.

Nemo and the crew had compasses and rulers out and were listening intently to the murmurings of Quartermain as he pointed out places on the map.

"Come on! Let's go!" Skinner urged him, picking up the habit of poking his side.

Sawyer swatted his hand away. Skinner looked over were he was watching Allan

"Allan will be here when we see him again. What are you so worried about? That he's going to die again?" 

Sawyer nodded. "Actually, yes." He watched Quartermain for another moment before turning and following Skinner from the meeting room. The invisible man studied Sawyer's door.

"Damn! I can't booby trap it! There's an actual lock!" Skinner walked over to the door of his room and took one glance back at Sawyer. "Don't let all this trouble you mate. We'll get Jekyll nice and drunk and we can remind him of it when's he's got twelve kids who worship him."

Skinner gave him a cheerful wave and the gentleman thief's forever parting wisdom. "Things are looking up, eh old chap?"

Sawyer went into his room and for the second time that day, he fell over.

_ To Be Continued..._


	7. the Road Diverges

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Seven: the Road Diverges**

Sawyer walked along the corridors of the Nautilus, not sure where he was going. Their three days in Egypt were over, although no one had been interested in seeing any of the sights. The reappearance of Allan had intrigued them all and he had been out of the normal circulation of events due to the expertise of Nemo. But that had not stopped anyone from being utterly curious. Well, at least the days had been peaceful and booby trap free since Skinner could not just walk into Sawyer's room in the hotel- the doors had keys, unlike the rooms on the Nautilus. And Sawyer was expecting a surprise when he tried to go to bed tonight. Of course, he was not sure what to expect.

He looked down the hallway and saw the door to the library was slightly ajar. Soft voices came from inside.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay aboard, Captain."

Sawyer froze and then crept as close to the door as he dared. That odd English accent tinged with some Scottish- it had to be Allan. He and Nemo were in the library. Well, they didn't call him a spy for nothing.

"It is no problem at all. I remember the story you told us about Africa not allowing you to die. Although I am curious as to how you came back."

Allan laughed, his voice gruff and heart-warming all at once. "That is something unfortunately that you will not know until you die. But rest assured that I am not a ghost or anything of that nature."

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting an intruder aboard the ship."

He gave an appreciative chuckle. "I know you weren't. But that whole scare with the lights going off worked out for best, anyways."

"Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Harker?"

"Directly yes. But indirectly no."

"How could it be indirectly?"

"That note. You and Sawyer and Skinner saw the note being written and saw what it had to say. You were expecting something unusual."

"I will admit, we were quite frightened."

"And probably tried to pin the blame on Skinner, if I know any of you at all. It was pure luck that he happened to have the clothes and his face-paint."

"Our suspicions are slow to die. Skinner is not exactly popular with the kitchen staff."

"I'd imagine not. Especially if he goes to the kitchen to nick food and ends up causing the mayhem he is famous for."

"He does… You know you are welcome aboard the Nautilus as long as you like."

"I do thank you, Captain. It certainly makes things much easier."

"Well, I suppose the scare the other night that led us to you was much better than you trying to come aboard at a port. I doubt we would have recognized you." 

"Or believed me."

"And besides, you can come right back into the group. I know Sawyer especially and everyone else had been missing you."

Allan laughed again. "I'm sure. And I am glad to be back."

"Yes. You were our leader and the one who kept everyone in line. Perhaps Skinner will refrain from distressing my kitchen and domestic staff workers now…"

Tom sagged against the wall. Allan's story sounded like so many of the fairy tales he had read as a child. He had always placed himself in them as the knight in shining armor on a white horse to rescue the damsel in distress. Maybe now he could be the favorite son of the king…

"Ah! Mr. Sawyer!"

He jumped as Nemo walked out of the library followed by Allan. He was wearing the kind of clothing he would have worn before he met his demise- the khaki safari clothes that seemed to be worn only by Englishmen in Africa. His hair was perhaps a little whiter than it had been before and he had the usual Winchester rifle at his side. He would have been attired just like before except he seemed a little whiter and a little more powerful. And his eyes… those faded blue eyes were now a vibrant shade of blue, almost too much to look upon.

Nemo gave him a curious look. "What are you doing out here?"

Allan looked at him and smiled, a knowing look in his eyes. Tom felt his cheeks redden. "Yes, what indeed?" he asked.

"Uh-" Tom trailed off, not wanting to admit he was eavesdropping.

"Did you need something in the library?" Nemo asked.

"Sure," he replied weakly, feeling more and more like an idiot.

The butler walked down the hallway at that moment, his shoes clicking smartly. "Ah, Captain. Dinner is to be delayed until seven-thirty."

Nemo nodded. "Thank you, Hasaan. Inform the others."

"Yes, Captain."

"No, wait! I'll tell them!" Sawyer said quickly. When he received an assenting nod from both Nemo and the butler, he hurried down the way he came, his cheeks red from embarrassment. This had to be worse than the first impression he made on Mina. Well, now he could see if Jekyll and Mina were canoodling and he and Skinner could raise some hell.

* * *

'I should go back to Transylvania. I should at least try to get rid of the Count. If he was gone, all the other vampires would probably turn back to humans. He killed the vampires as powerful as himself. I should do it. The worst that can happen is that he'll either kill me or finish the transformation. I can live with that. But I can't bring anyone with me. But if I don't have help, I'm not sure I can defeat him. But if Henry came and we used Hyde-'

Mina banished the thought immediately. There was no way she would ask Henry to unleash Hyde again, not when he did not want to. And she could not ask him to come with her to Transylvania. She would not put him in danger. Why had she decided to give in to everything she had been feeling? She loved Henry, but now he was in danger. And Sawyer was justifiably angry with her. Less than two hours after she told him she did not want a relationship with anyone, her and Henry were lost in one of the lounges, making love. Oh God, since when had things gotten so complicated?

Someone knocked loudly on the door. Mina started and dropped the glass bottle of perfume she had been holding. It fell to the floor with a crash and shattered, the amber colored liquid making a puddle around the glass, the smell overpowering her senses. The broken bottle seemed like her life lately, all shards of what she once was, nothing whole.

"Oh, Henry! What have I subjected you to?" she whispered, still staring at the mess on the floor.

"Mrs. Harker?" a familiar voice called through the door.

'Oh my God, Tom!' she said inwardly, her thoughts frantic. She quickly grabbed a towel from where they had lain folded at the foot of her bed and mopped up some of the perfume and broken glass. With a gasp, she dropped the towel. The shards a cut into her hand and deep red, rivulets of blood were running down to her wrist. Mina began to cry, not from the pain in her palm, but from a very different, very real pain.

"Mina?"

She looked up. Henry was crouched on the floor next to her. Not even bothering to think about where he might have come from, she threw herself into his embrace. He picked her up and set her gently on her bed. She vaguely heard him asking Tom to get Hasaan to clean up the mess and Tom asking if she was all right.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Henry studied the faces around the table as they waited for everyone to arrive for dinner. Mina had woken up a few moments after she fainted and had been ready to go to dinner on time. He still wanted to know what had caused her, of all people, to faint. She was nervous and edgy as she sat in her seat. Sawyer and Skinner were across the table from himself and Mina, arguing about whether or not Skinner should continue to booby trap Sawyer's room.

Allan and Nemo walked in the room. As if on instinct, everyone stood up. Nemo valiantly tried to hide his amused grin.

"You all know Allan Quartermain so sit down!"

The entire party nodded. The place reeked of manners and Henry was beginning to find it quite disturbing. Nemo shook his head, laughing silently.

Allan was giving them a strange look, like they should not still be surprised to see him around the ship. That was interesting. Nemo then seated himself at the head of the table with Allan to his right and Jekyll already to his left. Sawyer turned a deep shade of red as Quartermain sat next to him. Previous embarrassment already? Skinner shook with laughter.

And as he watched Sawyer with Quartermain, a smile spread over his face. The young man was obviously happy to have him back. Perhaps the guilt he felt would disappear and he did almost look like he could be Allan's son. Soon enough, everyone was talking comfortably amongst themselves. Jekyll just shook his head and laughed to himself.

* * *

Mina quietly knocked on Henry's door, hoping he would open it quickly. She was so used to everyone coming to her, that it felt strange to be seeking out someone else for once. Her heart hammered in her chest, as she knew what had to be done. And she would not ask him to come with her, even though she knew he would want to.

The door opened slightly. He was still dressed. Did he ever sleep?

"Mina?" he asked. She didn't answer, just pushed past him into his room. He closed the door behind her, expression worried.

"I'm going back to Transylvania," she said softly, her back to him.

"To kill Count Dracula?" he asked. She nodded, feeling him move closer to her. "Can you defeat him on your own?" he whispered.

"I don't know."

"Do you-"

She whipped around and cut him, placing one finger on his lips. "I don't want you to come with me. I have lost too many people I love at the hands of the Count."

"But Hyde-"

"No. I'm not asking you to use Hyde against your will."

"You're not asking me, I'm volunteering."

"Henry, I love you. But I can't ask you to do this. I have to do it alone."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to know. I'm a vampire. I can't marry you and raise a family when I know I am a danger to my husband and children." She paused. "I don't want to be a vampire."

He nodded slowly. "I understand what you want to do, but I'm going with you, whether you want me there or not."

"Henry-"

"No. You listen to me this time. I've seen the way you are around crucifixes and things from churches- you can barely look at them or handle them. If we can find Dracula's crypt during the day and seal him in there with holy water or something, then it will be easier to kill him."

She smiled in spite of herself. "You've done your research well."

He took her face between his hands. "I am not afraid to do this for you."

"You're a dreamer."

"And dreaming is what has kept me alive all these years."

She sighed. "I came here to say goodbye and talk you out of coming with me."

He shrugged. "Don't try to reason with a man in love."

Henry pulled her into his arms and she settled against his chest with a sigh. "We're both going to die doing this," she whispered.

"I know."

"Then why am I allowing us to do this?"

"You have to try. If you don't, you'll live a half-live, wondering 'what if'?"

* * *

Sawyer was walking down the corridors yet again, only this time, he knew where he was going. Hopefully, the library would be deserted and he could find the books he wanted in peace without questioning looks. And they would be there if someone else was in the library. Everyone expected him to practice shooting and play pranks with Skinner. There was no point in doing any of that anymore.

He got to the open doorway of the library and cringed. The one person he had hoped wouldn't be in the library was. Allan was sitting in one of the armchairs, studying what appeared to be an atlas. His glasses- now somehow completely repaired- were sliding down his nose as he read. His eyes were going quickly, back and forth, across the map. He looked like he had never left- like this was exactly were he belonged. Sawyer tried to comprehend it- to balance the joy with the confusion, to understand.

Allan looked up as he entered the library. A smile broke over his face. He seemed younger while at the same time more careworn. He was still the powerful man he was, but he was different, more peaceful and serene.

"Hello, Tom," he said, placing a ribbon between the pages of the atlas and closing it with a definite snap.

"Uh hi," he replied, praying he wouldn't start blushing again.

He nodded. "Are you all right?" God, why did everyone keep on asking him that? He thought he was all right… "Don't let me keep you from what you were doing. Were you looking for a particular book?"

Tom suddenly forgot what he had come here for in the first place. Allan gave him a bemused smile, much in the way of a father-son relationship. In a trance, he sat down on the small sofa opposite from his armchair.

"So what were you looking for?" he asked with another smile. Tom wished he had a coherent answer to that question, but he honestly couldn't remember. Why had he come here in the first place? Vampires… maybe…

"Oh, excuse me! I just came here for some of the books on vampire legends."

Tom snapped to attention as Henry came in. He walked expertly over to the shelf that held the books he wanted, selected several and began to walk back to the door. Allan motioned Henry over to him as the doctor passed. Jekyll stopped, politely ready to listen to what he might have to say.

"Jekyll," he started and then broke off into French. Tom sat there with his mouth hanging wide open. Jekyll listened to him, a smile becoming more and more evident on his face as he went on in fluent, articulate French. Tom almost wished he knew French so that he could understand what he was saying. How did either of them know French?

Jekyll replied, in French, looking over to Tom with an amused grin. The only part of anything Jekyll said that he understood was 'Madame Harker', obviously referring to Mina. Allan laughed and rolled his eyes as he stood up with his atlas and exited the library. Jekyll looked extremely amused.

"What did he say?" Tom asked.

Jekyll just shook his head. "Learn French, Tom," was all he said as he too left the library with an armful of books on vampire legends. Tom sat back against the couch, wondering what they had said and why it was so amusing. His initial reason for coming to the library was now completely erased from his mind.

_ To Be Continued..._


	8. Bachelor Parties

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Eight: Bachelor Parties**

Henry leaned over the railing of the Nautilus, the cool night breeze ruffling his hair and cooling his skin. As sad as he was to leave Egypt, it was time. And he was beginning to understand what Allan had meant by 'they would all split up.' He and Mina had talked to Nemo about going to Transylvania. The captain had agreed to let them off at the nearest port for their destination and he would meet them back there in two weeks. He only hoped they could get to Transylvania and, more specifically, to the Count's castle and at least attempt to do something in the two weeks. He had seen the questioning look in the back of Nemo's eyes. Were they going to survive this latest adventure? It was obvious that Nemo thought it a fool's errand.

So much had happened in the past three days- more than he ever thought possible to happen in so short a time. He had told himself that he would find the real Wilhelmina Harker and love her… and he had found her, scared of what she was, underneath all the mask and mystery. Sawyer seemed to have gotten over any disappointment- it was obvious how glad he was that Allan was back- or obvious to everyone else. And Allan- he had always said that Africa would never let him die. Henry supposed he was right although he was no inclined to believe the witch doctors. He was the same, yet different. And Henry had no clue he knew French. He smiled over what Allan told him in the library- Sawyer seemed to have regressed and developed a bad case of hero worship. Well, it would pass.

Tomorrow, he and Mina would be on their way to the land-locked castle of Count Dracula in an uncomfortable carriage. He might as well enjoy the sea breeze while he still could. He put his hand in his pocket and felt the rosary there. He had been born and raised a devout Catholic, but had fallen away from religion in later years. The rosary, however, always managed to make its way into his bags when he went places, not as a religious symbol but as a comfort object and reminder of better days. Perhaps, if they survived, the days to come would be the better days of his life.

And he knew he should have been terrified and unwilling to do this. But, as he told Mina, he was a man in love and there was no reasoning with him. He would do anything for her, even die for her if that was what was required. All the same things he felt with Emmaline… He wanted to help her do this. She was scared of what she was, afraid of her own power, as he was afraid of Hyde. Maybe this was a sign that Hyde was starting to reintegrate into Jekyll, because he was not anywhere near as jumpy as he would have been a month ago about this.

The door to the hatch opened and closed. Henry inclined his head towards whoever was coming onto the deck. Allan walked to the railing and stood next to him.

"Nemo tells me you and Mrs. Harker are going to Transylvania."

Henry nodded. "That's right."

Allan paused. "I am sorry, if during the meeting, I made either of you uncomfortable."

"It's all right. It was something was would have needed to be said eventually. Perhaps it is best that it came out sooner than later."

"And Sawyer will get over it quickly."

Henry smiled. "I hope so. I value his friendship."

Allan gave him a sidelong glance. "You know what you're facing out there?"

"The most powerful vampire in existence who will most probably kill anyone who attempts to harm him? I've heard that already from Nemo." He paused. "Look, Allan, unlike Sawyer, I am not an irrational young man. I know what I'm getting into."

"I never said you didn't."

"I'm sorry. It's-"

Allan shook his head. "No apologies. You know what you have to do?"

"Reintegrate Hyde into myself? That I know."

The older hunter smiled and sighed. "In helping Mina, you will find that you help yourself." He paused. "I'll not be with you much longer."

"Why?"

"My purpose was to push all of you in the right direction."

Henry turned to face Allan fully. "And have you pushed everyone in the right direction yet?"

Allan smiled. "Not yet. But soon."

"How do you know we wouldn't have gone the right direction anyways?"

"You are all scared of your pasts, scared of what you are. The lights were a way to get Nemo to recall his past through those journals. The scare on the ship brought you and Mina together- something that would never have happened otherwise. And Nemo would never have dreamed of changing the course or allowing an intruder to go uncaught if he did not have an inkling that it might have been me."

Henry shook his head. "How do you know all this? How did you do it?"

Allan smiled again, but this time it was much more mysterious. "That is something you will not find out until you die." He went back into the ship.

Henry leaned against the railing again. He had not thought about some sort an afterlife in many years. But when he first recalled Hyde's actions, he had been certain he was going to burn in hell. Now he was not even sure there was such places as heaven or hell. Perhaps life itself could be made into heaven or hell, an Eden or a fiery pit. He looked up at the stars as they winked their jeweled eyes at him.

"Good night, Emmaline," he whispered before going back inside the ship.

* * *

Sawyer squinted at the page of the book he was reading. He normally did not have trouble reading but a combination of emotional exhaustion and physical exhaustion were making it hard for him to even read the words, let alone concentrate on them. He did not know how long it had been since Allan and Jekyll left, all he knew was that he had stared off into space for some time and then got up and found this book. He still couldn't remember what books he had originally wanted from the library.

"What are you reading?"

He snapped his head up to see Allan coming in the room yet again. Tom quickly sat up instead of draping himself over the chair. Allan sat on the couch across from him.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth," he replied to Allan's question.

"Jules Verne?"

Sawyer nodded, placing one of the ribbons that served as bookmarks between the pages of the book to mark his place.

"You know Jekyll and Mina are going to Transylvania?"

"I heard through the grapevine. Skinner was eavesdropping."

"What was Skinner doing not dressed?"

Tom shrugged. "Probably going to the kitchen to nick food."

Allan smiled and shook his head. "The rest of you are staying with Nemo?"

"I can't think of anything else to do."

"Good. If you all- you and Skinner and Nemo- stay together, the consequences will not be as great. Lives will be able to be rebuilt."

Sawyer sat up straighter. "Consequences for what?"

"You will see. Just stay together." He paused. "I'll not be here much longer."

"You've barely got back!"

Allan just looked at him. "My task was to push all of you in the right direction. That is almost done."

"But how? How did you know?"

"As I told Jekyll, that is something you will not find out until you die."

"Hopefully that's later rather than sooner."

Allan smiled. "I should hope so. The new century is yours."

"You've told me that before."

"I know. And it is." He stood up and left the library. Sawyer sat still clutching the book to his chest. Strange things always did happen around this particular group of people, but that still did not explain how Quartermain got back to them and how he planned on leaving. He had said that a witch doctor blessed him and said that Africa would never let him die. Sawyer didn't believe in those kinds of superstitions… but maybe, it was time to.

* * *

Henry smiled to himself as he walked down the hallway towards one of the lounges on the ship. Skinner had told him to meet him there at ten o'clock and he had not planned on going because anything involving Skinner usually meant something else slightly illegal was going on. But Sawyer had said that Skinner told him the same thing and there was safety in numbers. Skinner couldn't get away with too much.

Skinner and Sawyer were already in the lounge when he got there.

"Ah! Jekyll! Have a seat!" Skinner indicated the chair next to Sawyer. Henry gave him a withering look and sat down.

Skinner then produced three glasses and a large bottle of Scotch.

"What's all this about?" Henry asked.

"Well," Skinner started, opening the bottle. "Since you face almost certain death during the next two weeks, I thought we'd throw you a bit of a party. It's not every man that's willing to die for a dame." The invisible man poured each glass to the brim full of the Scotch. Skinner then passed the glasses out amongst the three of them.

Sawyer lifted his glass in a toast. "To Henry Jekyll."

Skinner followed suit. "Yes, to Henry Jekyll, who faces almost certain death!"

Henry gave them a bemused smile and the three of them clinked glasses. After taking a sip of his Scotch, Henry asked, "How much of this do you plan on us drinking?"

The invisible man produced another bottle of Scotch, a decanter of brandy, a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of sherry. Sawyer nearly choked on his drink.

"You want us to die?" Tom asked.

Skinner shrugged. "No. I just thought I'd keep our options open."

"Is that what you've been doing every night? Nicking stuff from the wine cellar?" Sawyer looked incredulous.

"It's not only wine in there," Skinner corrected him. "There's a wide variety of alcohol and I want to know why Nemo only offers us wine and not any other cocktails."

"I can think of several reasons," Henry muttered, taking another drink of the Scotch.

"Oh aye?" Skinner asked, already refilling everyone's glass.

"One, it would be an excuse for you to get drunk. And two, it would be an excuse for you to get other people drunk."

"Like I'm doing right now?" Skinner asked cheerfully.

Henry just shook his head. Skinner certainly got some very strange ideas, but he decided to indulge him. How long had it been since he was last drunk? He couldn't remember, although he had a suspicion he would remember why he stopped getting drunk tomorrow morning.

"So are you facing certain death in England?" Henry asked the pair of them.

Skinner scratched his head. "Good question. We might be since M wasn't a part of the British government and Nemo and I no longer have amnesty." He paused. "Then again, you no longer have amnesty."

"No. Hyde doesn't have amnesty. I was never thrown out."

"Oh well! All you have to do is get rid of Hyde!"

"Easier said than done," Henry scoffed.

"Ah!" Sawyer slapped him on the back. "Maybe Mina can help you."

"Perhaps," Henry replied.

"How's she going to help him?" Skinner asked. "He's beyond help."

"Oh I don't know," Sawyer said, already beginning to slur his words. "At night when they're alone together and he can feel the voyeuristic Hyde side coming back-"

"Sawyer, shut-up!" Henry said, shoving him in the arm.

"How much of this have we had already?" Sawyer asked Skinner, looking at his glass curiously.

Skinner began to count on his fingers, looking confused. Then he threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know."

* * *

Mina looked at the stack of books sitting on the desk in her room. She should read them or at least glance through but it was impossible to forget how to kill a vampire, especially after her best friend had become one and her suitors had to kill her. One must put a stake through the vampire's heart and leave it there, then cut off the vampire's head and stuff the mouth with garlic. That had been Dorian's mistake when he tried to kill her- he didn't leave the stake through her heart, so she came back. And the result was his demise.

She might as well take all of these back to the library, since Henry had everything he needed from them. Why she had asked him to leave them was beyond her? She knew where the castle was and knew what needed to be done. Henry knew as well. There would be no surprises except for perhaps the pure strength that the Count may use against them.

Taking in a deep breath, she piled the books in her arms and made her way to the library. Halfway there, she ran into Hasaan.

"Hello Mrs. Harker," the butler said politely. "Need some help with the books?"

Mina smiled and nodded. Hasaan took half the books, bowing slightly to her like he did to Nemo and his superiors on the crew.

"Have you seen any of the gentlemen?" Hasaan asked as they walked down the hall. Mina smiled in spite of herself. She would have never called Henry, Sawyer, Nemo and especially Skinner 'gentlemen'. Or at least not all of them.

"I haven't lately. Although they're probably up to no good."

"They do seem to get into trouble often."

"Let's put it this way, putting Skinner with any group of people is deadly. By himself, he knows how to cause enough mayhem to drive people to drink."

Hasaan snorted. "I think I know this." He paused. "Perhaps he already did."

"What?"

With his free hand, Hasaan pointed to the doorway of the lounge they had just passed. Mina looked inside. Henry, Skinner and Sawyer were sitting around the table with several empty bottles and glasses full of some kind of drink. They laughed about something and then abruptly noticed they had company.

"Uh oh," Sawyer said, slurring the phrase together badly.

"Iz alright," Skinner replied, slurring as badly as Tom. "At least we can still stand up." To prove his point, Skinner tried to stand up and ended up falling on the floor next to the table. Henry squinted down on the floor at him.

"You all right?" he asked slowly.

"I told him not to finish the drinks!" Tom said loudly, pointing at Skinner.

Mina and Hasaan exchanged a glance. "Think you can handle Tom?" she asked the diminutive butler. Hasaan grinned.

"Of course."

"Someone can come collect Skinner later."

Hasaan put his books on the table and took Tom's arm, helping him stand up. "Hey, how come he gets help?" Skinner called from under the table.

"Mr. Skinner, shut-up!" Hasaan said, guiding Tom around the table and planting a kick to Skinner's side as he passed him.

Mina put the remaining books on the table and hauled Henry to his feet. Luckily enough for her, he was a complacent enough drunk to allow himself to be led back to his room, stripped and put in bed.

_ To Be Continued..._


	9. Dark Before Dawn

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Nine: Dark Before Dawn**

Mina looked out at the sea, the port they would come into later barely visible on the horizon, and shuddered. She had never dreamed she would be facing the wild county that was Transylvania once more and had never dreamed she would undertake the ominous task that Jonathan and Quincey had died for, the reason Lucy had died… The cool breeze made her shiver. Fall was coming early. It seemed like such a short time ago they had been sweating buckets in Kenya. And it was only two weeks ago… so much had happened and so much was going to happen.

They were staying in the port overnight. Nemo had contacts here, as he seemed to all over the world, and would arrange for hotels and carriages while they were in Transylvania. Of course, Mina had seen what Nemo called a 'modest' hotel and it was certainly nothing that she or Henry could afford. And they did not want to take charity from the captain who had done so much for them already. She found it almost incredible that Nemo was on the wanted lists in more countries than she could count and the first country to catch him would be the country to keep him. What the countries did not know was how much the man had changed. The jails that prided themselves on rehabilitation were after a man who had rehabilitated himself without their help.

And they would have to leave the ship tomorrow morning. Then the real adventure would begin. She shivered again. Nemo and the rest of the League would take off for England- amazingly enough, in the Nautilus, it was possible to get to England and back in two weeks. If she and Henry were alive, Nemo would pick them up. And she could not imagine what Nemo needed to do that was located in England where people were still looking for him and Skinner and Hyde.

"You seen Quartermain?"

She turned to face Sawyer, who was just coming out on the deck. She shook her head slowly. "I haven't seen him since last night."

Tom winced as he came out fully onto the deck, no doubt the sunlight was causing his hangover to become worse. He stopped for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mina shook her head.

"Don't do that. It won't help a headache from a hangover."

He glowered at her. Mina almost laughed. The three of them had been so comical last night, completely drunk, when they thought no one was watching. Somehow, she never would have imagined Henry, Tom and Skinner forming anything resembling friendship and here they were, getting drunk together.

"What possessed the three of you to get drunk last night?" she asked.

Sawyer shrugged. "Seemed like the thing to do since Jekyll is probably going to die."

"What happened to your famous optimism?" 

"Hasn't been too much to be optimistic about lately, Mrs. Harker."

"What about Allan? He is back from the dead so to speak."

"Yeah," Sawyer trailed off, throwing a piece of biscuit into the sea. "If I didn't feel like I was thirteen again every time he looked at me."

This time Mina actually did laugh. Sawyer narrowed his eyes at her.  
"What's so funny?"

"You. You're not in the least way terrified to make your advances on me. But the moment the man you love and respect comes back from the dead, you suddenly are no longer the suave charmer you pretend to be."

Tom glared at her. "Yeah, but you did reciprocated Jekyll's advances."

"Are you going to be bitter about that forever?"

He sighed and threw another piece of the biscuit in his pocket in the ocean. "No." He paused. "It's just I never imagined Jekyll was your type."

"There are many things about Henry you don't know."

"Oh, I'm sure." Tom chucked the rest of the biscuit away. "There are probably many things about both of you I don't know."

"You're right."

Tom turned so he was facing her, brown eyes still slightly bloodshot. "Do you actually think the two of you stand a chance against Dracula?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

He pulled a Colt revolver out of one of his gun holsters and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"Silver bullets," he replied.

"Tom, silver bullets work on werewolves, not vampires."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But it'll sure slow the bastard down."

She smiled and shook her head. "I guess now is not a good time to tell you I don't know how to use a gun?"

He returned the smile. "There's all day today. I need to teach Jekyll too."

* * *

Nemo smiled as he stood just inside the door leading to the deck of the ship. Sawyer currently had Jekyll out on the deck, practicing with the Winchester. The American had taught Mrs. Harker the revolver that morning. And the doctor was proving fairly adept at using a gun, in spite of the fact that he had never even so much as touched one in his life. He was hitting about half of the practice targets.

Sawyer looked just like a younger version of Quartermain. He had his hands on Jekyll's shoulders, guiding him for a better shot. Nemo wondered what good guns were going to be against a powerful vampire, but it seemed to give Sawyer some peace of mind that they had protection other than the unpredictable Hyde and Mina's fangs. The soft litany of words that Sawyer kept repeating to Jekyll came clearly to Nemo.

"Just take your time with it. You have all the time in the world…"

He sounded like Quartermain as well. Jekyll had his jacket and tie off- in fact, he hadn't even bothered with the collar that morning, showing up to breakfast in a collarless shirt and vest. It probably had something to do with the party they had last night. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

Jekyll shot and hit the target. The jubilation on the doctor's face was evident. It was obvious that Jekyll had probably thought he wouldn't be any good at using guns. Add that to the fact that both of them were probably still slightly in the effects of the hangover. It was probably a good thing that they would not come into port until that evening since they still had the open ocean to shoot into.

And their paths were dividing. Tomorrow they would no longer be together, the group that they had grown so accustomed to being in. Nemo sighed and pushed the door open all the way, setting out onto the deck and the bright sunshine. Sawyer turned his head slightly to see who had come out on the deck.

"Hey, Nemo," he replied, quickly turning back to watching what Jekyll was doing. Still facing the ocean, he asked, "Can we get another Winchester? Henry's better at using it than the revolver."

Nemo smiled again. "I'll see what I can do. There should be a place near the port that can accommodate that."

"Terrific," Sawyer replied absently. Jekyll shot again and hit the target again. The younger man patted his back, absently. "Remember how to load it?" he asked. Jekyll nodded and began to reload the gun.

"Dinner will be served early tonight," Nemo said.

"Great. I'm starving. Haven't had anything all day," Sawyer stated, one hand rubbing his stomach which gave a rather loud rumble.

"Join the club," Jekyll muttered.

"You seen Skinner or Quartermain?" Sawyer asked suddenly as if it had just come into his mind.

"Mr. Skinner is still in his room," Nemo replied. "But I do not know where Mr. Quartermain is."

Jekyll and Sawyer exchanged a dark look. And Nemo was fairly certain that there was something they knew that they had not yet chosen to share with anyone else.

* * *

Henry walked down the hallways of the Nautilus to his room. Dinner had been pushed forward to six o'clock rather than the customary time at seven o'clock. He needed to change clothes so he looked halfway presentable at dinner, especially since this was the last meal the six of them would have together for who knows how long a time. He would be the first to admit that he had not been particularly concerned with what he looked like this morning, he was concerned with the killer headache that plagued him all morning. And he didn't even remember too terribly much about last night.

He opened the door to his room and decided against lighting a lamp since the setting sun was still providing enough light to see by.

"Henry?"

He nearly jumped a foot in the air and then turned to the direction of the voice. As his eyes focused in the dim light, he saw it was Mina and his racing heart slowed down. His face relaxed into a smile as he shut the door.

"What are you doing here?" he asked softly, moving closer to her. She rose from where she had been seated on his bed, the only truly inviting place to sit in the whole room, armchairs included.

"I came to see you," she whispered, meeting him halfway between the doorway and the bed.

"That is obvious," he replied dryly.

"Don't be smart. You'll start to sound like Skinner."

"What's wrong?" he countered.

Her expression softened. Her hands lightly rested on his chest. "Why do you love me?"

"We've already talked about this and-"

"No." She rested a finger on his lips. "We've haven't."

Henry drew in a deep breath, the only thing coming to his head was the first bit of a Shakespeare sonnet. _How do I love thee? Shall I compare thee to a summer's day for thou art more lovely and more temperate. _ But he was not even sure that was the way it went. He had not read anything like that in a long time, not since Hyde killed Emmaline… Emmaline… A melody came to his head, one he used to play for Emmaline before she died, the one he wrote especially for her when he still allowed himself to play the piano. Emmaline had said she could feel all the love he had for her in that simple piece of music.

"Is there a piano on the ship?" he asked.

Mina looked confused. "A piano? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just trust me. Is there a piano?"

She thought for a moment. "There's one in the lounge by the dining room."

He looked at his pocket watch. It was five-fifteen. Well, he wouldn't have time to change for dinner now, but there was a first time for everything. Nemo would probably understand if the reason for his poor attire was explained later. And this was far more important than looking nice for dinner.

* * *

Mina quickly led Henry to the lounge with the piano, wondering why it was so important all of a sudden for him to find a piano. Could he actually play? She didn't know, he never said anything about having any musical talent. She motioned to the corner of the room where there was a baby grand piano. Henry smiled.

"Trust Nemo to have something this impractical on his ship." He walked over to it and lifted the lid, propping it up. He then sat at the bench and played a few chords. "Either it was harmed when those bombs went off or Nemo had it retuned."

Mina sighed. "Henry, what are you doing?"

"You'll see." He cracked his knuckles a few times and then played scales- extraordinarily quickly, his fingers flying up and down the keys. Mina stared. She had no clue he could do anything like that. The whirling sounds moving up and down in pitch swept her up and carried her along with their magic. She felt a strong sense of sadness as the last note of the scale died out into a heavy silence.

"I didn't know you knew how to play," she whispered.

He smiled again. "I used to. But it has been a long time since I played."

Henry thought for a moment and then began to play 'Fur Elise' by Beethoven. His fingers moved flawlessly up and down the keys, his eyes closed and body swaying with the music. Mina was amazed- he knew the whole thing by heart and she wasn't sure she believed his statement about not having played in a long time. He was making no mistakes. The music swirled around her, creating images and colors before her eyes in a way that music had never done before. Sure, Jonathan and her would go to concerts or the symphony, but none of them were anywhere near as good as Henry Jekyll and he was a doctor.

She was hardly aware that he had stopped. His intense cobalt eyes were staring at her as she slowly came back to reality, standing next to a piano in the lounge on a ship. "Do you know anything else?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "Yes. This is why I needed the piano."

He began to play again, but it was nothing she recognized. It almost sounded like a conversation between two people, the high tinkling notes asking a question only to be answered by the deeper notes. The conversation went on and on, until it created a swirling sensation in the pit of her stomach. The melody was expressing love, she didn't know why or how, but it was and she could feel it from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. It was a love song, singing of the intense love of one person for another. The notes whirled her around until she felt breathless from what they expressed. And once more, she was hardly aware that he had stopped playing and that the song was over, it had felt like it would go on eternally, singing the love song.

"What was that?" she asked quietly.

"I wrote it," he said simply. "I never titled it."

"You wrote it." She felt weak. He knew of such love to write a song of this magnitude and intensity. "Who for?"

"Emmaline."

"Emmaline?"

"Yes. She was my fiancée." His voice had gotten softer and sadder. "Hyde turned on her like he did upon my dear friend, Dr. Lanyon. He strangled her to death the day before we were to be married."

"You took the formula?"

"I didn't. Hyde got out anyways." His eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Hyde tried to exterminate everyone close to me. He couldn't stand to see me happy. That is why I fled the country and left everything I knew and loved behind."

"And now?"

He looked up to her. "And now that piece is for you."

"Oh, Henry."

She slipped onto the piano bench next to him, her arms around his middle. He hugged her close and she reveled in the heat from his body. So, they had both lost the person closest to them at the hands of their demon. Hyde had killed Henry's future wife and Dracula had killed her husband. And now they were together, hoping and praying that Hyde and Dracula would not kill the other. She buried her face in his chest and wept.

_ To Be Continued..._


	10. Parting of the League

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Ten: the Parting of the League**

Sawyer stood next to Jekyll, throwing the things Jekyll was handing him into a suitcase. One who knew Henry Jekyll well would probably never have guessed that he had occupied this room for over a month since everything was everywhere. Sawyer had seen to that when he offered to help Henry pack since the carriage for him and Mina would arrive in two hours. The sun was not yet up over the horizon and a dim gray light intermingled with the yellow lamp light.

Jekyll peered at the mess inside the suitcase. He shook his head. "Tom," was all he said but Sawyer could hear the amusement and exasperation in his voice. The doctor quickly began to repack the clothes in the suitcase so that everything was neatly folded.

A knock came on the door and Hasaan entered, carrying an armload of the rest of Jekyll's laundry. Henry looked up at the butler and smiled.

"Thank you, Hasaan," he said, taking the clothes from the diminutive butler.

Hasaan looked into the partially straightened out suitcase and shook his head. "Perhaps you and Mr. Sawyer should go have breakfast while I fix the suitcase," he said in his highly accented voice.

Sawyer bristled. "Are you saying I don't know how to pack a suitcase?"

"Yes," Hasaan replied, completely nonplussed. "All these things will be wrinkled if they remain packed like this."

Henry laid the clothes on the bed and motioned to Tom. Sawyer inwardly grimaced at the perfectionist butler who was forever trying to decapitate himself and Skinner. He had no doubts that Hasaan could easily eliminate both of them one night and make it look like a household accident that could have happened to anyone. Tom followed Henry out of the room and down the hallway towards the dining room. Hasaan was muttering to himself in a language that Sawyer did not recognize.

He could see the headlines now: American Agent and Invisible Man Beheaded with a Frying Pan. And there would be an accompanying picture of himself and Skinner with an underlying headline saying the police were still looking for clues as to their murderer. Sawyer shook his head as he and Henry entered the dining room.

"I've still got to give you the gun and bullets," Tom said as they moved to the side board and began to fill their plates.

"Isn't the new Winchester not coming until later today?" Henry asked.

Tom nodded. "Yeah. I'm giving you mine since you practiced with it. I'll take the new one. Besides, all the bullets I have are silver coated."

The doctor sighed. "I don't see how bullets are going to help us."

Sawyer shrugged. "I don't know. I've never tried to kill a vampire." Henry rolled his eyes. "Well, the only vampire I've met is Mina and I wouldn't want to kill her," he defended himself.

"I know."

They walked over to the table and took their seats. Sawyer drew in a deep breath recalling what Jekyll had told him a while ago, it seemed like so long. He would be happy knowing that Mina ended up with someone he knew and trusted… referring to Sawyer. Now was the time to completely relinquish his hold on that contest.

"Take care of her."

Jekyll looked up quickly. "Mina?"

Sawyer nodded. "Yeah. You told me that you would have been happy if she ended up with me. I know now she would never have been serious about me." He paused and drew in a deep breath. "Just take care of her."

Jekyll nodded slowly. "You know I will."

Tom studied the doctor and the man's intense blue-eyes gaze and he suddenly smiled. "Now Skinner needs a girl and I can have some time to myself."

"And no more booby traps in the room?"

"Exactly."

Henry grinned. "And who are you going to set Skinner up with? I don't exactly know any woman who would particularly want an invisible man."

"Oh, there has got to be someone." He paused. "My friend, Huck, used to tell me that I needed to get married and have nine children."

"Why?"

"He used to say that if I only spent five minutes a day with each kid, he would have forty-five minutes to himself. I guess you could say I had a pretty big imagination as a kid."

Henry shrugged. "We all grow up sometime."

"Yeah…" Tom trailed off. He remembered getting off the train in London. He and Huck had been assigned together to find out about the threat of world war in Europe. They had been in a dark alley, waiting to see where Sanderson Reid would go, trying to find the base of operations for the alliance England was supposedly forming. He turned and saw the Fantom standing in the alley. The dark creature raised a gun and fired two shots. Tom felt one shot brush past his ear and when he looked at Huck, he was on the ground, blood pouring from a wound in his chest. The Fantom had shot him dead. His childhood friend… his best friend… dead… Unshed tears formed in his eyes.

"Tom?"

He was jerked back to the present unpleasantly by the sound of Henry's concerned voice. He looked up at the doctor, remembering how he had pledged to the League that he would avenge Huck's death.

"Was the other agent you told us about… your childhood friend… was he Huck?"

Tom nodded slowly. Then he abruptly stood up from the table and left the dining room as fast as he possibly could.

* * *

Mina walked down the hallway to breakfast. She had finished packing last night after dinner. Not that she had overmuch to pack. She would not be needing any of the chemistry equipment she had originally brought or hardly any of the books. She knew what needed to be done. Her suitcase contained her clothing and toiletries, her purse held what little money she did have. She did have a small valise and she shuddered to think about what was in that piece of luggage.

The long wooden stakes… eight inches long and tapered to a sharp point… The small mallet that one of the crew members had found for her… Hasaan had provided as much garlic as he could from the kitchen and the two small crucifixes donated to the cause by two of the crew members who were Christian. Henry would have to deal with the crucifixes later and place them somewhere else. She had been Christian… once… and now… she could not even go into a church without the strong feeling to bare her fangs and lay the place to waste.

One of the crew members was currently down in the bowels of the ship looking for an ax or a hack saw that they could have. They would need it to cut off the Count's head. Another crew member, who was Christian, headed to the local Catholic church before sunrise that morning to bring back the Host and holy water. Henry would be presented with that later when the crewman came back, if he had been successful. Although Mina had no doubts that he would be because the people of this area were extremely superstitious about vampires and did everything in their power to protect visitors from them.

She entered the dining room and Skinner was the only occupant. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smack Skinner. The invisible man was shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth and stopped mid-bite when she entered. He grinned.

"Good morning, you're looking radiant today!" was his salutation.

Mina glowered at him. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"On the contrary, I find that when people flatter me it gets them everything," Skinner retorted cheerfully. Mina was strongly reminded of his flippancy and cheerfulness when he had met the League in that cave in Mongolia after his spying episode. It was like he knew the full horrors of what M had concocted but refused to let its direness bring down his spirits.

Mina moved along the side table, filling her plate and getting a strong cup of coffee. Skinner continued eating in his normal fashion- like all the food would disappear if he let it sit on his plate for more than two seconds. She sat down at the table across from him. He suddenly stopped eating and looked at her quite seriously.

"Listen. You two can't die out there."

She rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"Because you are our princess. If we lose you, we might as well end it all now. No point in going on, if we don't have a lady to defend against the barbarians."

"Skinner, are you drunk?"

"No! I'm serious."

Mina looked at him, seeing the sudden vulnerability written all over his face. This was a man who faced everything with the same flippancy, in the hopes that if he pretended things were not really all that bad then they really weren't. She did not know what would await her and Henry in Transylvania and she certainly did not know if they would survive. The images of them together, years from now, in a townhouse in London with lots of children seemed like some far off fantasy that they could not have. And here Skinner was, truly worried for them. She would have never thought it possible for him.

"I've never heard you open up that much."

"Yeah, well." He put down his fork that he had previously been holding for no apparent reason. "I stole the invisibility process."

"I know that."

"And I was reading the journals. The scientist had to die to become visible again." He paused. "There is no antidote. There never was. I don't want to die, but I had certainly never planned on staying invisible the rest of my life."

She nodded, not saying anything. Skinner's predicament was understandable. He did not want to stay invisible, but, at the same time, he did not want to die. Like most of the men she knew, Mina could imagine that he eventually wanted to get married and have a family. What kind of woman would marry an invisible man not knowing if the trait could be passed on to children? Being invisible was a novelty that one could have for a short time, but not the remainder of their life. 

Skinner stood up from the table and made to leave the dining room. At the doorway, he turned to her. "Just don't die in Transylvania, all right?" Then he was gone.

Mina stared after him, wondering if all the bravado, all the flippancy, was just a cover-up for hurts that went much deeper. Was it all a cover-up for a truly deep depression?

* * *

Henry stood on the pier with the luggage. Pirates and all other kinds of savage cutthroats swarmed around him on the deck, ignoring the lone man dressed neatly in a suit. It might have had something to do with the fact that the Nautilus was behind him and no one wanted to try anything on someone Nemo might consider a friend. The carriage was due to arrive any moment. Mina was still on the ship, trying to fend off all the food that Hasaan and the cook decided that they needed to take along.

"Doctor."

He turned to see Nemo coming down the pier from the one open side door onto the Nautilus. He smiled.

"Captain."

Nemo walked up to him and pressed a billfold into his hand. Henry looked at it, bulging with bills of several different currencies. He shook his head.

"Nemo, I can't accept this-"

"Yes you can," Nemo interrupted. "I have seen the financial situation that you and Mrs. Harker are in. You would never make it to the Count's castle."

"But-"

"It is a gift and I want you to have it."

Henry sighed and slid the billfold into the inside pocket of his jacket. "I can't think of any way to ever repay your kindness."

"It is a gift," Nemo repeated firmly.

"Jekyll! You're running off without the Winchester!"

Sawyer came running down the pier holding the Winchester rifle and a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. He shoved both items into Jekyll's arms.

"What is this?" he asked, indicating the parcel which was rather heavy.

"Silver bullets. The guys just got back from town with them."

"Tom-"

"I know!" Tom cut him off. "Silver bullets only work on werewolves, but I still think that they can at least slow that vampire down."

Henry smiled and shook his head, opening his suitcase quickly and putting the extra ammunition in. When that was accomplished, he looked up to see Mina and Skinner coming out of the ship followed closely by Hasaan.

The short butler handed Jekyll another parcel. "It is the Christian things you asked for. Some bread and a glass bottle of water."

He nodded and quickly put it away amongst the luggage.

"I could not find Mr. Quartermain," Hasaan was explaining to Nemo. "I thought he would have wanted to see Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Harker off. I looked everywhere I could think of for him and he just was not there."

Nemo held up a hand to silence the butler. "It is all right. Mr. Sawyer and Dr. Jekyll were told that he would not be among our number much longer." He then turned to Henry and Mina, a look of serious concern in his dark brown eyes. "You know the rendezvous time? Back here in this exact place two weeks from now at noon?"

Henry nodded. "Yes. And that is whether or not we have accomplished anything. We come back here and regroup before anything else goes on."

The captain nodded. "I only hope that it does not come to that."

"Me too." He turned and looked out at the small port town and the rolling hills and mountains beyond it. This place was so different from London and Paris which were so noisy and full of life. Even the busy pier seemed quiet and tranquil. He could not imagine this would be a popular place for a vampire, since everyone would notice missing, sick or dead people.

Skinner held out a gloved hand. "Good luck, old chap." Henry nodded and returned the handshake. The invisible man then said the same thing to Mina and shook her hand.

Nemo bowed to both of them. "I pray to the gods that this may not be our last meeting." He then warmly embraced both of them.

Sawyer stood by with his hands in his pockets, trying to look aloof. "Don't do anything stupid," Tom said. Henry just smiled and embraced the young man. Sawyer went with it and returned the embrace.

"Take care of yourself, Tom," Henry told him.

"I won't have anyone to keep me in line."

"I'm sure Nemo and Hasaan can do that."

Sawyer just laughed and gave Mina a quick hug. A carriage rolled up to the pier and a tall, painfully thin man came up, said a few words to Nemo and began to load their bags on the rack on the roof of the carriage.

Henry felt Mina slip her hand into his and they quickly got into the carriage. When he looked back out the window, Nemo, Skinner and Sawyer were still standing on the pier watching the carriage. He had never seen a more desolate looking group. And yet, he felt the sorrow of their parting. They had all gotten used to each other- they were a team. And now it was time for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to be parted.

_ To Be Continued..._


	11. On the Road

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Eleven: On the Road**

Mina watched the country roll by in the carriage, almost unwilling to believe that this nightmare had really started. On the Nautilus, it was easy enough to pretend that the day as still far away. Skinner was booby trapping Sawyer's room, Sawyer was running around the ship brooding, Nemo was trying to keep order while Hasaan was chasing people with rolling pins behind the captain's back and Henry could be found in the library, his room or on the deck, trying to avoid all the chaos that inevitably would happen.

And her? What she doing while all of them were on the Nautilus? She would have been avoiding Skinner, having run-ins with Sawyer and trying to find a quiet moment to spend with Henry or by herself. Their faces as the carriage pulled away would be scorched into her memory forever. Sawyer trying to look as though he really did not care, Skinner looking at the ground and Nemo with obvious tears in his eyes. Who would have ever known that leaving the people she used to find intolerable would be so hard? And what had happened to Quartermain? He had not been around too terribly much in the past two days?

She drew in a breath and held Henry's hand a little tighter. He smiled at her. It was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but she could see the tension behind it. They were both probably thinking the same thing, 'Oh my God, what are we doing here?'

"It will be all right," he said softly.

"I hope so," she replied, watching the green countryside roll past. The hotel they were supposed to be headed for was called the Hotel Royale in Klausenburgh. According to the driver, they would arrive after nightfall sometime.

The driver had not asked many questions and Mina supposed that the people at the hotel would be the same way. Anywhere Nemo arranged for them to stay would probably be question free. On the other hand, any place they chose for themselves would warrant many questions and they would probably have to lie about who they really were. It was not proper for a widow and a respectable single doctor to traipse across an unknown country together. They could always lie and say they were married or claim they were siblings.

And she had not spoken German in a long time- the language they needed to communicate with the people in this country. She only hoped she remembered enough to get what they needed. Henry knew French from his flight to Paris, but no German. Last time she had been here, Jonathan and Van Helsing spoke to the people at the hotels- she had not actually had to communicate in German to anyone. The men had been too concerned with keeping her safe and destroying the Count to undo what he had done. And look what had happened to them…

The sun began to sink beyond the horizon, tinting the sky shades of orange and red. What had possessed the Count to try to hold Jonathan prisoner anyways? If Mr. Hawkins, Jonathan's employer, had not been too ill to make the initial trip to Transylvania, none of this would ever have happened. Jonathan would probably still be alive. But then, she would never have been recruited to the League or met Henry or Sawyer or anyone in the League. Perhaps there really was a reason for things happening the way they did.

"We'll be at the hotel in about an hour," the driver called to them.

Mina sighed. Once they were at the hotel, it just meant they were closer to the Count and closer to trying to accomplish the impossible. She used to be afraid of death. Now, she would gladly welcome it if it would end this hellish life as a part-vampire.

* * *

Henry looked out the window, watching the moderately sized village approach. It was dark out and the houses were light up, looking almost merry. He shivered involuntarily. Fall was coming and it would probably be cooler once they got out into the open country near the Castle Dracula. Well, for now he would welcome a hot supper at the hotel and a chance to stretch his legs after being in the carriage all day.

"Here we are!" the driver called, pulling the carriage to a stop in front of a small hotel with a neat brass plaque reading 'Hotel Royale.' The driver opened the carriage door and Henry hopped out, turning to help Mina out of the carriage. He looked up at the place. It was almost as if it marked the first step in their journey. The driver was scrambling with the bags as he and Mina walked into the hotel.

The lobby was small, yet neat and well-furnished. A short round woman stood behind the front desk. She looked like she could be jolly or wrathful at any given time. She gave them a warm smile as they walked in.

"You must be the ones the Captain wired us about! Welcome!"

Henry exchanged a glance with Mina. The only person he supposed she could be referring to would be Nemo. And she spoke English with a thick Cockney accent. The woman bustled around underneath the desk and pulled out a large black ledger, presumably where the guests signed in.

"Now, all I'll need is your name," the lady continued. "You and your wife," she added looking at Mina with a smile. Henry raised an eyebrow and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Nemo had probably made up an entire story about them that conveniently left out their names. He sighed, resigned to the fact that he would have to make up a name since this lady was staring at him expectantly. He took a fountain pen from its holder on the desk and quickly signed two names in the ledger.

The woman studied the names, still beaming. "Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Snodgrass."

Mina gave him a look that clearly said 'Where in the world did you get that name from?'

"You'll be room twelve," the woman continued. "My name is Mrs. O'Malley." She pulled a key from the box labeled twelve and gave them quick instructions on how to find the room.

"I think Nemo put us in a hotel where English thieves hide out," Mina whispered to him as they walked down the dim hallway. Henry nodded, knowing that estimation was about the most correct they were probably going to run across. The driver had given the bags to a bellhop and the boy was now following them with the luggage.

Once they were safely in their room with their luggage and the bellhop left, Mina began to laugh. Henry gave her a mild look.

"What's so funny?"

"Snodgrass?" She continued laughed. "God forbid you have to hide out anywhere. The police would find you in two minutes just following the ridiculous British last names."

He shrugged. "I'm glad you find it so amusing _Petunia_," he replied using the name he had signed in the ledger as hers.

She abruptly stopped laughing. "You did not."

"Oh but I did." He sat down in one of the two small armchairs in the room.

"And what did you tell her your name was?"

"Vernon."

Mina rolled her eyes and sat down in the other armchair. "We need to have a talk about using aliases here because I do not want to be known as Petunia at every place we stop."

There was a knock on the door followed by, "Do you dears want some tea?"

"Mrs. O'Malley," Henry muttered.

"Yes, just a minute," Mina called and then whispered to Henry. "Do you want some tea, _Vernon_ dear?"

"Why yes please _Petunia_."

Mina playfully glared at him and went to open the door. Mrs. O'Malley entered with a tray containing a tea service and a plate full of cookies. The portly landlady then stayed to have tea with them chattering inanely about her deceased husband, her children and her cats that lived in her apartment. Henry just smiled and sipped his tea, glad they had someone like Mrs. O'Malley around to keep their minds off of what was yet to come on this trip.

* * *

Sawyer looked absently at one spot on the floor of the lounge he was in. He had been staring at that same spot for the past hour and, for some reason, could not will himself to look anywhere else or to get up and move. As soon as Henry and Mina's carriage was out of sight, Nemo had the crew get the ship ready to sail and, in half an hour, they were back on the high sea with a course for England. He was not sure what they were going to do in England, but he assumed that Nemo had business to take care of.

Dinner had been a quiet affair. Not the noisy, rowdy happy hour that it had been most recently. And they still had not been able to locate Allan on the ship. Tom strongly suspected that he was just no longer on the ship. He had said he would not be with them much longer to both him and Jekyll. It had been almost two days since anyone had seen him. And it was not like Allan to hole up somewhere away from the rest of them.

"So they're gone." It was not a question, but a statement. Skinner was standing in the doorway of the lounge. Sawyer tore his gaze from the inane spot on the floor and fixed it on Skinner. The invisible man was clothed and had the white greasepaint on.

"You were there," Sawyer replied. Skinner came in and sat on the sofa across from the one that Sawyer occupied.

"It's a little depressing, isn't it? With them gone and all."

Sawyer smiled. "If you had told me a month ago that I was going to miss Jekyll, I wouldn't have believed you."

"Isn't that the truth," Skinner replied. "We've all grown accustomed to each other."

"And now we have to redefine our roles in the group," he finished. "I would never have thought I'd be staying here with you guys. I thought I'd be going back to America the moment it was over."

"And no one planned on M betraying us."

Sawyer looked at Skinner. "How did you figure out before the rest of us that M had betrayed us? That he was phony."

Skinner shrugged. "I knew someone was trying to pin something on me that I didn't do. They wouldn't have been trying to do that unless it was a cover-up from something bigger." He paused. "So I just laid low until I figured out who it really was."

Sawyer shook his head. "I wouldn't have seen that and I'm supposed to be the spy."

"We all have our cross to bear," Skinner replied flippantly. "Besides, I think you were way too busy ogling Mina."

"Hey!" He swatted at Skinner who good-naturedly ducked the blows.

"Hay nothing, oats are cheaper!"

"And grass is more expensive."

"How did you know that?"

"My uncle used to say that all the time. He did live on a farm."

Skinner shook his head. "I keep forgetting that." He paused. "Did you have a girl back in America?"

"I thought I did. I'd known her since I was a kid, but she didn't want me to join the Secret Service and then she didn't want me to go overseas." He trailed off and took a deep breath. "But I didn't want to be what she wanted me to be. I did have a huge imagination as a kid and she thought that I would outgrow it. She thought the Secret Service was just an adult version of that imagination."

Skinner nodded. "I had a girl before I went invisible. She worked at my favorite tavern and could always tell you what the best beer was. She couldn't quite believe the fact that I really was invisible. She thought I was a dead spirit. She thought I died." He shrugged. "I still go to the tavern where she works when I can, just to see her."

"What was her name?" Sawyer asked softly.

"Tell me the name of your girl and I'll tell you the name of mine."

Sawyer glared at him. "All right. Fine. Her name was Becky."

Skinner nodded. "Mine's name was Abby." He paused. "Short for Abigail," he conceded. "But she hated to be called that. She wanted everyone to call her Abby."

Sawyer nodded. He and Skinner really did have more in common than they liked to believe that they did.

"I'd go back to her if there was an antidote. I'd marry her," Skinner said more to himself than to Sawyer.

"Isn't there one?" Sawyer asked. He remembered somewhere at the beginning of their voyage, learning that Skinner was in the League so he could get the antidote to the invisibility.

"No," Skinner shook his. "M lied about that. The only way I can become visible is to die and I don't want to die just yet, so I'm stuck invisible."

Sawyer nodded sympathetically. "Well, if you can come to terms with it."

"Oh yes," Skinner grinned wickedly. "I can nick food more easily from the kitchen and the cook has really bad aim with the frying pan and hardly ever actually hits me." He paused. "Why are we sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves? We should be finding Nemo's room and booby trapping it!"

Sawyer laughed. "Yeah. Then, he'd throw you overboard!"

Skinner thought for a moment. "Good point. Getting myself thrown overboard would probably not be a perspicacious thing for me to do. Then again, he might throw a life jacket over the side too and I could float to shore and settle in some pagan town." He paused and then added, "Where they've never heard of me or played a note of my music!"

"Your music? I didn't know you played the piano."

"I don't. But Richard Wagner did."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, maybe I could convince the villagers that I'm Richard Wagner."

Sawyer just laughed. "Do you have any idea in hell what Richard Wagner actually looks like or what any of his music sounds like?"

"No. I'm pretty sure he was German and Franz Liszt became his father-in-law eventually because he married his daughter."

"Who is Franz Liszt?"

"A Hungarian pianist. Wagner is a German pianist." Skinner paused. "And that is about the extent of my knowledge of either one of them."

Sawyer shook his head. "How is any of this relevant to the fact that you want to booby trap Nemo's room and he would consequently throw you overboard?"

"Not a damn thing!" Skinner declared cheerfully. "I'm just trying to impress you with how smart and cultured I am because I know about famous pianists."

"It's not working," Sawyer muttered.

"Oh well," Skinner shrugged.

Sawyer laughed, feeling the dark cloud that had settled over him lifting. Skinner may be irrelevant and complete flippant- all the time, but he did have a way of cheering people up by talking about obscure German and Hungarian pianists. The invisible man had taken a deck of cards out of his pocket and was shuffling them. Sawyer watched him shuffle the deck expertly. He assumed he might have picked that up, playing cards in some tavern where they bet with the birds they had shot and things of that nature. Sawyer's uncle used to go to a place like that. He took him and Huck once…

Skinner began to deal the cards, once more in an expert style. Sawyer was quite impressed and chose to keep his mind on the cards and not what had happened to Huck, although Huck would have liked Skinner…

"What's on your mind?" Skinner asked.

Tom shook his head. "Nothing. What are we playing?"

Skinner picked up his cards and grinned wickedly once more.

"Poker…"

_ To Be Continued..._


	12. the Clock Hands Turn

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Twelve: the Clock Hands Turn**

The next night, Tom found himself in the very same lounge with Skinner and this time Skinner had nicked two bottles of wine from the wine cellar. He could not imagine the mess that must have been in the wine cellar when M planted the bombs on the ship and he pitied the poor crewman who got to clean it up. The fumes enough probably would have made anyone feel quite drunk within a few moments. But he was glad that the wine cellar was full once more, although he was not quite sure how. Nemo had strange ways about him.

Tom took a long drink from his bottle of wine. He did not know why he was sitting around with Skinner drinking wine straight from the bottle. He never used to drink after seeing what Huck's father would do to him when drunk. Perhaps there was a Grand Canyon difference between sitting around with Skinner drinking and getting so drunk that he became violent. Even when him and Skinner and Jekyll were all stinking drunk none of them got remotely violent. Maybe it had something to do with the person.

"So why doesn't anyone call you Rodney?" Sawyer asked. He wasn't really drunk, but the question had just come to mind. Everyone else in the League was called by their first name most of the time by most everyone. No one except Nemo ever called Mina 'Mrs. Harker.' Even himself and Jekyll were known as Henry and Tom to most everyone. Again, the only notable exception was Nemo… and no one wanted to argue with the person who owned the ship. Tom didn't much fancy having to swim back to America.

Skinner shrugged. "I don't know. Would you want to be called Rodney?"

Tom shook his head. "No. I suppose not."

"The only person who ever called me that was my mother, God rest her soul," Skinner said in a reminiscing tone. "She died when I was ten. Dad died before I was born." He paused. "Don't remember much about them. Became a pick pocket pretty soon afterwards." He raised the bottle of wine as if to make his point. "There's a good living to be made in pick-pocketing."

"I'll remember that," Tom muttered.

"If you caught some arrogant fat cat with hundreds in his billfold- well, let's just say that was more money than I had ever seen in one place in me life."

"Seen any bigger sums?"

"Oh yeah!" Skinner scoffed dismissively. "In bank vaults."

"I don't want to know."

"Now," Skinner started, waving the wine bottle around again. He reminded Tom of his old schoolmaster- extremely drunk- trying to teach a lesson. "I know you were probably brought up in a Christian household and told that stealing was a sin. But me- I go by the Robin Hood mentality. The people I steal from aren't ever going to miss it."

"Rob the rich to feed the poor?"

"No!" Skinner corrected. "Rob the rich to feed me!"

Tom snorted. "Don't you think that's rather self-centered?"

Skinner shrugged. "As long as there's food on the table, I don't care where it came from."

Tom rolled his eyes and took a long drink of wine. There was something to be said for having Skinner as a close friend- his rather faulty circular logic could be very entertaining.

"What about you?" Skinner asked. "How'd you get involved with the Secret Service and end up all the way out here with us vermin of the universe?"

"Same way as anyone I suspect," he replied. "Went to college and then applied for the job. I got it. So did my friend. We were sent here together."

Skinner waved it away with the wine bottle. "So uninteresting. Sawyer, you need to think up some romantic daring plot you can tell your children so that they don't think their father is some stuffed shirt."

"I'd just tell them about the League."

Skinner thought for a moment. "That works." And he took another drink of wine.

* * *

He was still aboard the Nautilus. For some reason, it appeared deserted, the halls devoid of any life when they should have been crawling with crew members scurrying about their normal daily activities. He looked down one long white corridor. He recognized it as the one a person would have to travel down to reach his room or Mina's room. A flash of a long black skirt disappeared into Mina's room. Mina… As if in a trance, he walked down the corridor towards his love.

_ When he got to the room and peered in the open door, the scene was eerily familiar. Dorian Gray was still alive and was seducing Mina like he had all those weeks ago, trying to rekindle their old affair. He felt a quiet desperation and depression- knowing that he would never get any of her affections. He knew he should not be here watching this. It was private between two grown human beings. And yet, he could not help himself._

_ Then, Dorian faded and Mina was sitting at her desk, a pen behind her ear. She appeared to be analyzing something as she expertly manipulated the chemistry equipment. He marveled at the ease with which she moved amongst the test tubes and beakers. He had always felt nervous and out of place in chemistry classes, preferring anatomy and patients to lab work. Throughout all that anxiety around so much glass and chemicals, he had built his own lab and created the elixir. Very soon after, Hyde had destroyed the lab in an attempt to prevent him from ever coming up with an antidote for what he had done. He shook his head, watching her work._

_ She seemed to take no notice of him._

_ Uttering an inaudible sigh, he walked back down the hallway to his room and sat on his bed, trying not to feel dejected for circumstances he could not help. His eyes landed on the case holding the vials of his formula. The brown leather case sat on his desk- the only adornment appearing as forbidden fruit, something placed in easy reach that should be avoided._

_ And quite suddenly, he heard a voice in his head that he had not heard in weeks._

"Drink the elixir!" _the low, harsh voice commanded._

_ His eyes went wide and his breathing quickened as he realized that Hyde was back in head, taunting him. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears._

"Yes, I'm back you worm!" _he taunted._ "Mina is down in her room alone and you don't even have the guts to say anything to her. You are a pathetic little creature!"

_ "No!" he whispered, his fingers tangling his hair and a fine sheen of sweat breaking out over his forehead. He would not give into this. His fingernails dug into the sides of his head._

"You thought you could shut me out forever! You were wrong. I will never leave."

_ "Why? What do you want with me?"_

"I want you to know what I feel. What it is like to be utterly alone!"

_"But you helped the League. Everyone saw your value!"_

"Yes and then they shut me out. I should kill all of them!"

_"No! They are my friends!"_

"All the more reason to be rid of them! Especially that little minx you claim to love. She'll just leave you like all the others."

_ "Emmaline did not leave me! You killed her!"_

"You don't deserve to love anyone!"

_ "Why? Why!"_

"Because you can't even accept me!"

_He shook his head, feeling the scratches he had left on his temples and his scalp. The sweat was now pouring off his face in rivulets as the tears ran down his cheeks. Why did Hyde have to come back now? Now? When everything had been so perfect? He had hoped and prayed that Mina would show him some affection, maybe even love him and Hyde wanted to jeopardize that. He wanted to take away all that he had achieved by stepping out of his reserved, introverted bubble. He buried his face in his hands and began to sob._

_ "Henry?"_

_ Oh God! It was Mina. He could hear her voice somewhere far off. She did not need to see him like this. Hyde could get out and hurt her! No!_

_ "Go away!" he whispered, not sure if it was to Hyde or Mina._

"Henry!"

He sat bolt right up from where he had been previously sleeping on one of the armchairs in the room. Mina was standing over him, shaking him awake gently. She looked worried. He reached one hand up to his forehead and felt the sweat, a wave of panic overtaking his very soul. Hyde was not dormant. Hyde was very much alive and well. But he still breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it had all been nothing more than a dream.

* * *

Mina sipped her tea, sitting in the sunny breakfast room of the hotel. Henry was still upstairs getting washed up and dressed. It had been the middle of the night when he awakened her, talking in his sleep to an unknown subject. She had sat up in the bed and looked across to the armchairs where he had insisted on sleeping as a proper gentleman. He was twitching and sweating and talking like he must have with Hyde. She had woken him up and calmed him down enough to put him in the bed and rock him into an uneasy sleep. When they got up in the morning, he looked as though he had no sleep at all. It almost made her wonder what he had been dreaming about.

She sighed as she buttered a crumpet. What in the world had caused that kind of night terror in Henry? He had Hyde under control or so she had thought. But she was also confident that if Hyde tried to attack her, she could easily escape him by taking to the skies. She was not the sweet church girl that Emmaline had most probably been. A worldly vampire would have been the apt description for Wilhelmina Harker.

"More tea, dear?"

Mrs. O'Malley stood over her with another pot of tea in hand. Her Cockney accent was almost refreshing.

"Yes, please," she replied and the portly landlady refilled her cup.

"Is your husband going to be down soon?" she asked.

Mina nodded slowly. "He will be shortly."

Mrs. O'Malley nodded. "Troubles last night?" she asked knowingly. Mina knew perfectly well what the landlady was implying and only wished she could explain to the woman what their real troubles were.

"You might say that."

"Well!" Mrs. O'Malley sat herself down at the small table. She leaned closer to Mina conspiratorially. "The captain told me you are going to hunt one of those… things. I want you to have this to protect yourself."

She laid a worn necklace on the table. It had a silver chain that was tarnished so it was almost black and a tiny crucifix on it. The image of the crucified Christ had always been one that Mina found appalling. Why would anyone want to dwell on that as a way of their faith? The vampire instincts flared and she had to suppress a growl.

"Morning!"

At the sound of Henry's voice, she gratefully turned to him. Mrs. O'Malley gave him a huge smile. "I'll fetch more crumpets for you and a cup of tea!" she gushed. "I was just giving your wife my old crucifix necklace since the wire from the captain mentioned there might be need of it."

"That's very generous of you," he replied in a genial tone, but the dark circles under his eyes did not go unnoticed by Mina and the general sluggishness about his nature. He picked up the crucifix necklace and put it into his vest pocket.

"Thank you," Mina whispered.

He shrugged. "She didn't know."

Mrs. O'Malley bustled over with another plate of crumpets, a smaller plate with some more butter and a cup of tea. "There you are dears! The carriage will be here for you in about half an hour. The train for Bukovina leaves at ten."

Henry smiled at her. "Thank you, Mrs. O'Malley. We will let you know if we require anything else." It was his polite way of telling her to go away. Mina smiled. Mrs. O'Malley bustled off, talking about the 'proper gentleman.'

"That was a good one," she whispered.

He gave her a genuine smile. "She was irritating." He took her hand. "Besides, I have a nasty feeling I am going to fall asleep on the train to Bukovina."

* * *

Sawyer blinked several times and looked at the cards in his hand. He was not drunk- Skinner had not nicked any wine because the cook threatened to take his head off with a rolling pin if he discovered anything else missing from the wine cellar. Skinner had decided against this rather cruel and unusual form of execution. He probably did not want Hasaan on his trail as well because the butler was known to hit people with towels when they annoyed him.

So, here they were, playing cards very late at night. Sawyer decided that poker was just no fun when there was nothing to bet with. However, Skinner was keeping a pretty accurate count of who won how many rounds. Although, Sawyer had a feeling that it was slightly skewed in Skinner's favor.

"What's on your mind?" Skinner asked, shuffling the deck. "Nemo says we've got about another day or two before we hit England."

"I know."

"Then why so glum? There's a million different pubs we could go to!" He paused. "Good beer, friendly company- can't beat it!"

Sawyer threw his cards on the coffee table between them. "I loved Mina and now she's off gallivanting around with Jekyll who couldn't stand up to anything!"

Skinner nodded and collected his cards. "So the truth does finally come out! And it is our beloved damsel! Look, Jekyll's got Hyde and Mina is a fierce scary vampire. I have every confidence that they will come out unscathed, even if they don't solve the Dracula problem."

"Yeah! But will Jekyll use Hyde?"

"You tell me!" Skinner began to deal the cards again. "Now stop thinking about them. I'm starting you think you spend every waking moment contemplating everything that could go wrong in Transylvania."

Sawyer snorted. "You're not wrong."

"So let's talk about something else." He thought for a moment. "Where were you born?"

"Missouri."

Skinner nodded. "Where was I born? London. Next question- occupation."

"You know what I do for a living."

"You're right. I do. What is something I don't know?"

Sawyer just looked at Skinner and laughed. From his Robin Hood theory to his reminisces of his old girlfriend, the invisible man knew how to make everyone laugh even if it was at his own expense. His idea that being a pick-pocket is the most lucrative occupation ever and how much money he saw in a bank vault… Perhaps he would visit some of the pubs in England with Skinner. It would certainly make for a good time- if they did not manage to get arrested for something.

"Can you cook?"

He snapped to attention. "What?"

"Can you cook?" Skinner repeated.

"No."

Skinner cackled evilly. "Excellent. We can harass the cook for cooking lessons- perhaps get on his good side and then we can freely nick wine because he will like us."

"I don't think anyone on this ship will voluntarily like you."

He shrugged. "Those are the breaks." He collected all the cards up again and shuffled them. "We should get Nemo down here one of these nights. It would be a good laugh to teach him how to play poker… course, he probably already knows if he's a pirate. Still, we could play with him. It would be fun."

_ To Be Continued..._


	13. Reflections

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Thirteen: Reflections**

Nemo shook his head as Skinner dealt the cards. Where the man got the idea that he did not know basic card games was beyond all imagination. Of course, games like poker relied heavily on chance and an honest dealer. He did not suppose that Skinner was stacking the deck in any way since both him and Sawyer were keeping an eye on it. And he had heard about the game last night where Skinner was keeping track of who was winning what and the odds always seemed to go in the invisible man's favor. Not that any of the shenanigans surprised him much.

He picked up his cards and studied them. It was not a good hand and judging from the expressions on Sawyer and Skinner's faces, their hands were not much better.

Skinner suddenly yawned. "Why is it that we could always think of things to do when the love birds were still here and now all we can do is sit around and play mindless card games?"

Sawyer sat up straight and pointed a finger at Skinner. "Do not start booby trapping my room again!"

"I wasn't going to." He paused. "But now that you mention it…"

The young American let out a noise that was halfway between a groan and growl and collapsed onto the couch, scattering his cards everywhere. Skinner peered at the cards he could see. 

"Don't have a very good hand, do you old chap?"

"No," Sawyer replied, but it came out muffled because he had thrown one arm over his eyes and the other over his nose and mouth.

"Can he breathe?" Skinner asked Nemo. The captain shrugged.

"I suppose he will when he must."

The invisible man shook his head. "Always the calm one."

Nemo raised an eyebrow, keeping the impassive look on his face. "I don't know of anyone else in our little group who could remain so at all times."

"He's right!" Sawyer moved one arm from his face and patted Nemo on the back. He gave him a withering look. Nemo had his fill of card games and drink and all the sort of things one expects a pirate to indulge in many years ago. One night, when aboard the ship, he had been staring at the stars and realized that there had to be more to life than plundering merchant ships and finding the best tavern when in port. He and his crew were already rich men. So, he had released the previous crew keeping only his former first mate, Ishmael, and Hasaan aboard. They sailed to India, Nemo's home, and recruited a crew. Most of the men were simple farmers without a chance for a better life. They were all quick learners and were fiercely loyal to Nemo. The idea was that if Nemo got caught the crew would not be in any danger since they had not been a part of the pirate crew and exploits.

The ship, while being splendid to look upon, had been rather dingy inside from housing all the hardened pirates. The new crew made it gleaming and a true jewel, a gentleman's ship. They knew that if anything were to happen to Nemo, they would be allowed to remain aboard the ship and were to take orders from the first mate and Hasaan. However, Hasaan would be truly in charge. If Nemo were to be arrested, Hasaan was to take care of his assets and would be granted custody of the ship. If he were to die, Hasaan would get the ship and his finances would be equally divided among the crew.

But that was prospect he did not want to think about. He would like to have believed that good deeds redeemed a man in the eyes of the law, but that was not so. If he were caught, he would be tried and found guilty of his crimes from the past years. He felt almost detached as he watched Skinner shuffling the cards. Rodney Skinner was nothing more than a petty thief. He stole people's wallets and robbed banks and snatched jewelry boxes from open windows. Unlike Nemo, he did not have blood on his hands. And Sawyer… the young man was an upstanding citizen, even working for his country's government to help enforce the law. Nemo remembered the old passion he had when he first became a cabin boy on a pirate ship many, many years ago. They had been above the law and above the morals of everyone else. They had their own code and the more cutthroat and bloodthirsty one was, the sooner one moved up in the ranks. There were no heroes among thieves.

He sighed, feeling the detachment more and more. The only person on the ship he had really and truly connected with had been Jekyll. For one brief moment, Jekyll had said what truly made him edgy and tense and Nemo understood.

_"Has Hyde… killed?"_

_ "He has done every evil that a man can do. And my curse, I recall his actions."_

_ "I sympathize. My curse, I recall my own."_

And the doctor had been correct when he stated that 'his talk was all well and good but his own past was far from laudable.' Far from laudable it was and no matter how much of a humanitarian he was now, it did not erase the past.

_"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"_

That seemed to be the only song that anyone ever sang on his first ship. He remembered peeling potatoes in the galley while the crew members went about their work above. The crew had taken an instant liking to the 'little Indian boy.' He had learned to read and write from those men and fed his voracious appetite for knowledge, eventually leading into science and the conception and creation of the Nautilus.

"Let's play something other than poker." Sawyer destroyed his chain of thoughts and reminisces perfectly. He kept his expression mild, knowing that the young man had no idea of what kind of life Nemo used to have.

"What do you recommend?" Skinner asked, shuffling the cards.

Sawyer shrugged. "We used to play 'Go Fish' when I was a kid."

"Oh that's dignified," Skinner replied with a slightly sarcastic air as he changed his normally Cockney accent to something resembling upper class society.

"Poker's no fun when there's nothing to bet on."

Nemo just laughed and inwardly shook his head. These two probably did not really want him in on their card games but they probably figured it was the decent thing to do.

"Know any interesting card games, Nemo?" Skinner asked as he shuffled the deck of cards once more.

"Some. But they come from India."

"Terrific," Skinner replied. "We can become cultured." He paused. "By the way, tell the cook to quit yelling at me about all the food I've nicked."

"Did you nick the food?" Nemo asked calmly.

"Yeah, but that's beside the point," Skinner protested. "I have never seen someone so short who has such lung power."

"You've obviously never met my Aunt Polly," Sawyer muttered.

"Or listened properly when Hasaan yells at you," Nemo added.

"Oh, this guy is worse than Hasaan."

Nemo and Sawyer exchanged a glance. "I think he needs to spend a week with my Aunt Polly and then see what he thinks about the cook."

Skinner waved away all the comments. "What are we playing?"

The captain thought for a moment and then named a card game, instructing Skinner to deal seven cards to everyone. The evening should pass rather quickly teaching those two how to play a rather complicated card game.

* * *

Henry was asleep as the train barreled through the countryside and he appeared unfettered by dreams and taunting for once. Mina found it amazing that Hyde would not even leave him alone when he slept. In fact, she was not entirely sure that he slept much when they were on the ship save for when he was drunk and when they had been together. It had not even occurred to her last night that he might just remain awake while she slept. And he did sleep and not well. She did not have to ask him what the dream had been about, she knew already. Hyde…

They would have to get a carriage from the train station in Bukovina to a hotel. Then they would either have to hire horses or another carriage to take to Castle Dracula. She was not sure where they would get either but if the hotel was anything like the last one Nemo had put them up in, she was sure it would be no problem. The problem would be finding her way back to the Castle and then remembering where Jonathan had said the crypt was. All his journals had been lost when the Count came to England and destroyed all evidence they had of him. All the handwritten and typewritten journals had disappeared. Van Helsing, Seward or Godalming would have nothing to offer in this adventure either. Seemingly, nothing more than Henry would. And they would consider it a fool's errand, just like Nemo. Unlike them, Nemo did support them and give them the means to make the trip.

A fool's errand… well, she would rather be considered a fool than a great many other things she could think of. She knew what everyone immediately thought when M had mentioned her prior acquaintance with Dorian and how it may help to convince him to join the League. She could see scarlet woman running through their minds.

Perhaps she was a scarlet woman. The fall from proper society when Jonathan was killed was not an easy thing. She was a part vampire. Jonathan had died trying to undo the terrible damage that had been done. Depression must have been a normal thing for a recent widow and even suicidal thoughts. But, try as she might, she could never kill herself and she found out the hard way that she was immortal. Then the affair with Dorian, being swept up by a romantic man into a daring and exciting adventure that society condemned. That ended and the business with M started. She never knew how M knew about her and knew to recruit her. And he had to have known that she was a vampire, because Dorian needed her blood.

The train slowed down and came to a halt in a small station. She gently shook Henry awake and they left the train for the next stop in their journey.

* * *

Henry walked down a cobblestone road in Bukovina. He was not sure where he was going, but he was consciously keeping close to the hotel, not wanting to become hopelessly lost and embarrassed since he spoke no German. Not that the hotel would be hard to find since it was the tallest building in the whole village and most everything else was dingy buildings and little huts that people lived in. As he came to the edge of town, he came upon a small church that was really nothing more than a chapel.

A small graveyard was to the left of the building. The grounds were well-tended and neat, indicating that someone did worship here or at least work here. The building was gray stones and looked old from the tip of the small steeple to the crumbling bottom step. But it had a charming air to it anyways, like something old that survived the changing times and stood as a testament to those who had come before.

He walked slowly up the stairs to the church and opened the plain wooden door that had crosses carved in them. The crosses, like the door, were plain and unadorned. The church's inside was much like the outside with the gray stone. The stained glass windows were simple and almost lovely in their simplicity.

"Good afternoon, my son!"

Henry started at the voice speaking perfect English. He turned to see a tiny old man coming out of a side door by the altar. The priest came down the aisle between the pews to greet him. He had iron gray hair and was clad in clerical garb.

"Good afternoon, Father," Henry replied with a slight nod of his head.

"I am Father Fitzgibbon. Been here close to thirty years," the priest said with a smile. "What brings an obvious Englishman such as yourself all the way out here in the wilderness?"

Henry smiled. "I would like to ask you that, Father."

Father Fitzgibbon shrugged. "I was assigned to come out here as a young man. Now," he paused, studying Henry. "What is your name, son?"

"Doctor Henry Jekyll," he replied, completely forgetting to use the false name that he had used when checking into the hotel.

"And the young lady with you is she your wife?"

"You might say that."

"Ah!" Father Fitzgibbon nodded knowledgably. "Is she your mistress?"

Henry suppressed a laugh. "Oh no, nothing like that. We will be married as soon as we take care of some business out here."

Father Fitzgibbon just laughed. "I would say 'two young people out on a worldly adventure before they settle down', but I wager that neither one of you would appreciate the title of 'young'."

"It has been quite some time since anyone called me a young man openly."

"Ah well, me too," the old priest said with a chuckle. "What can I do for you? Or did you just come in the church to admire it?"

Henry looked up at the stained glass window over the altar. "It's been a long time since I have been in a church," he said softly. "I haven't felt worthy enough to be in one."

"Son," Father Fitzgibbon started. "I don't care what you've done- there is no sin that God won't forgive. All you have to do is ask it of Him."

"You think so?"

"I know so. And-" Father Fitzgibbon leaned towards him conspiratorially. "I may be a Catholic priest but I can tell you there are many things the Church upholds that I don't." The priest straightened. "You have to find the truth for yourself, find what really counts in this world."

Henry nodded, understanding what the old priest was getting at. Truth was not something that instantly made itself known. It was something that had to be sought out, gained through experience. He had thought his work with the good and evil in men would be finding the truth and inside he found his own personal hell. "Thank you, Father," he said softly.

"You are welcome, Dr. Jekyll." He looked at a watch at his waist. "I am afraid I must go- I have a house call to make, but if you need anything else while you're in town, I should be here." The priest smiled and disappeared into the side door he had come out of.

He watched Father Fitzgibbon leave and then he slid into one of the pews towards the back of the church. A large crucifix hung over the altar. His blue eyes dwelt on the grotesque image for some time, the reminder one he knew well from his childhood. He remembered asking his father why such a horrid thing would be allowed in a church, churches were supposed to be places of joy. His father's words came back to him clearly. _"Henry, I know the image is not something pleasant, but it is a reminder, a reminder of what Christ went through for humanity, what He went through for our sins to redeem us."_

He knew that now and knew what great courage it must have taken to willingly submit to it, how much love Christ must have had for humanity in order to sacrifice himself for the evil that they had done. He thought of all the evil that Hyde had done, every evil that a man could possibly do. It did not seem possible that it could be forgiven. It did not seem possible that Henry Jekyll would be able to have a place in heaven. He belonged in hell with Hyde. He had created Hyde and he knew that he should burn for the consequences.

_"Henry, God does not want anyone to go to hell, no matter how evil they are. He is sad when people turn away from Him or are convinced of their damnation. He wants everyone in heaven with Him and all we need do is accept His love and forgiveness. That is all it takes."_

His father… the man had been so resolute in his faith and convictions and so eloquent in stating them to others that no one doubted him. And his father did not mourn his faith like so many Henry had run into in his adult life, his father celebrated his faith and treated as a blessing. Throughout medical school and his early practice, Henry had tried to be like that, but life and Hyde had worn him down and taken him away from something he used to stand in awe of. Maybe it was not too late to change. Maybe it would help keep him alive in the face of Dracula.

He put his face in his arms and wept.

_ To Be Continued..._


	14. Arrivals

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Fourteen: Arrivals**

Mina looked back at Bukovina, which was growing smaller and smaller. She pulled her horse to a stop. Henry reined his horse in, looking at her. Pulling up her floor length skirt so that it was to her thighs, she urged the horse forward, glad to be able to fully control the horse and feel the ease of movement. Henry looked slightly amused but did not say anything. And she did not really care what he thought- he had seen more of her than her legs. It didn't matter. They had both obliterated society's rules and regulations well before they had been together.

She looked at the winding dirt road in front of them. If she recalled anything correctly from Jonathan's journals, it would take several hours to reach the castle and then they would have to leave enough time to make it back to Bukovina before sunset. Things had not been this complicated last time. Of course, last time they had a recent mental map and she had not been the sole navigator. Well, they should be able to pass through the mountains and then onto the castle and be there by perhaps noon.

Her blue eyes swept to Henry riding in front of her. His hair was windswept and his black jacket flew behind him as he kept his horse at a steady trot. He turned around and smiled at her. She grinned back, loving the way that she could see his feelings for her written plainly across his face. Just like Jonathan… she had never been able to tell what Dorian felt for her as he always kept his emotions carefully masked behind an air of aloofness and cynicism. It felt good to be back with someone who really and truly loved her. Dorian never held her after they made love because he always had to get up and do something. She wanted to get married and have children… but not as a vampire. She did not want to see her husband and children die.

One of the wooden stakes was sticking out of the saddlebag on Henry's horse. She swallowed and closed her eyes briefly. What had to be done was not a pleasant thought. It was as undesirable as being thought of as a scarlet woman or someone's mistress. Hopefully all that would settle down when they got back to London and got married… if they ever got back to London and got married. And she knew that she did not only have Henry's love on the ship, but several other men as well. It would break their hearts, but she could never marry them. Only Henry and if she could refrain from hurting him, then all would be well.

The sun rose over the horizon and was golden and glowing as the time approached noon. The winding mountains came closer and closer until they found themselves at the pass that would take them to Castle Dracula. The pass was narrow and winding and opened out into a large ravine where the castle was situated.

"It looks like a veritable labyrinth," Henry said softly, stopping his horse and pulling it up beside her, since she had taken over leading once Bukovina was out of sight.

Mina nodded. "It is. Jonathan found that out the hard way." She paused. "But if I remember correctly, the crypt is not in the house."

"In one of the other buildings?"

"In some sort of storage or shed."

Henry nodded and then urged his horse forward. "Well, let's go," he said over his should as the horse trotted down the slight slope and on the dirt road leading to the castle.

Mina took a deep breath and urged her horse down the road after him. She did not know what made him so fearless in this venture unless he was masking it extraordinarily well. She tried to survey the approaching castle as she road forward. They would probably have to jump the courtyard wall to get into any place that would lead them to the crypt.

He looked over his shoulder at her, as if to make sure she was coming. She found it almost laughable that the men on the ship thought she needed someone to take care of her after all that had happened. And when she thought about it… perhaps she still did need someone to take care of her… perhaps. She urged the horse to a gallop to catch up with Henry.

* * *

Sawyer stood on the deck and watched the distant lights of England coming closer and closer as the ship swept over the black waters. This was not home for him like it was for some of the others- Jekyll, Mina, Skinner and even Nemo called the place home. The captain maintained it was because the British were the most civilized culture he had come across in his travels. But this was not home for Tom and he doubted that it would ever be his home. He did not know how someone could love the rainy, grimy streets filled with every low-life imaginable.

He could picture his home in Missouri with the rolling fields beyond the little town and the wide roaring Mississippi river. The shops were all wooden and painted bright white or they were red brick and looked cheery. The town was small and everyone knew one another. A kid could not get away with anything, because if one's parents didn't see the deed, then someone else's did and would certainly rat one out. There was comfort and security there. It was a place where he and Huck could act out all their wild dreams and get into heaps of trouble while doing it. He thought of their childhood scrapes- their guardians thinking they had died and then they walked in on their own funeral, helping Jim escape the plantation when it was not necessary and generally raising hell. That was his home. It was not this dreary, dismal looking town.

And quite suddenly, he thought of Becky. She was the golden-haired daughter of Judge Thatcher and he had been infatuated with her since he was a boy. He remembered the church picnic when he had finally asked her to go with him for a soda. She had smiled and the look in her brown eyes had been clear- 'finally!' But that was a dream never to realize. Becky had never liked his imagination and used to listen to his tales with an amused smile. Then, when he joined the Secret Service, she finally broke everything off. And now that he thought about it, she had truly been the only girl for him. Of course, now she was probably married to some rich farmer and had the first few children of a brood of nine or ten. It almost made him sad.

"Ah, jolly old London!"

Tom turned to see Skinner coming out on the deck and then turned back to where his gaze had been previously focused on the lights. It was Skinner's home, not his. He had wanted Mina and lost her, just as he had wanted Becky and lost her- the latter because he followed his dreams and the former because he had waited too long.

But this city held memories for him, most of which were bad. Huck's death… he did not want to go near that alley and was glad that he did not have to once he found the League. All the memories of sitting in pubs with Huck, talking about where they might find the League and joking about what they might be like… He remembered the dingy room in an inn they had been forced to share and then arguing over who got the bed and who had to make do on the narrow sofa that looked rather moldy.

"You're awful quiet," Skinner remarked, standing next to him on the deck.

He shrugged. "I lost my best friend in that city."

The invisible man pulled in a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell us about that sooner?"

"Oh that would be a pleasant introduction- 'My name's Tom Sawyer and my best friend was just shot to death by the Fantom.' Not too nice."

Skinner shrugged. "I didn't know soon meant within two seconds of meeting."

Sawyer didn't reply, just continued staring. The black waters lapped gently against the side of the ship. Home… if it supposedly was where his heart was, then he did not know where home was. Was it in Washington DC? Or back home in Missouri with Aunt Polly and Becky and all those folks? Here, on the Nautilus? He didn't know and he did not suppose that he would ever really know. Maybe it really was all in vain. Maybe there was no one he was destined to love. And yet he kept going back to Becky.

"We will be in port in half an hour, gentlemen."

He twisted his head around to see Nemo coming on the deck as well. He nodded to show that he had heard and went back to staring.

"Are we staying on the ship, then?" Skinner asked.

Sawyer did not fully register Nemo's reply, other than to think that it must have been in the affirmative. Skinner asked a question about whether or not they were going to be able to use the automobile or walk. Nemo must have replied no. Skinner laughed and Tom heard the door to interior of the ship close.

"Do you ever dream, Nemo?" Sawyer asked softly.

The captain took the place that Skinner had previously occupied. "All the time. Although my dreams have changed over the years."

Sawyer turned to face Nemo. "How so?"

Nemo shrugged. "When I was a boy and a cabin boy on a pirate ship, I used to dream of having my own ship and becoming the most fearsome pirate in the ocean. Then, when I achieved that dream, I wanted to build a new ship that was better than all the others."

"Seems like you got your dreams."

"It seems like it. I like to think that I am completely happy. There was a time in my life when I wanted a wife and family." He paused. "I never achieved that. What kind of woman would want to marry a man whose home is a ship and is never in one place for very long?"

"Do you regret becoming a pirate?"

Nemo looked almost sad. "I really had no choice. My parents were poor rice farmers in India and I was one of a brood of children. My father, for lack of a better term, sold me to some English pirates who were looking for a cabin boy." He paused once more. "I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had not been sold in that manner. Would I be a poor rice farmer like my family with a wife and too many children? Would I be as illiterate and uneducated as my family?"

"At least you vaguely remember your parents. My parents died when I was a baby and I grew up with my Aunt Polly."

"There is something to be said for having some kind of parent figure."

Tom nodded. "I suppose. My Aunt Polly used to tell me that I had silly dreams. I don't think it was the dreams as much as the imagination that went with them."

"We always have dreams of grandness, of achieving great things. There comes a time when we realize what is realistic for us to do, for us to be."

Sawyer nodded slowly. He understood that. He used to read every adventure novel he could get his hands on when he was a kid. Those adventures seemed like the only kind of living that anyone could really do. When he got older, he had wanted to become a spy and knew exactly how to achieve it. The original plan had been to work for the Secret Service to learn the trade and then open a detective agency. The detective agency did not seem like it was something he was ever going to get. Perhaps he should go back home to Missouri where he truly understood everything in the sleepy little village, spending the nights laying the fields just watching the stars and sitting on the banks of the river and watching the river boats.

Maybe Becky and Aunt Polly had been right… but then he thought about how much he loved his work. He and Huck had been the most enthusiastic new recruits and were given larger assignments much earlier than the others. It was why they had been sent to England when the job would normally have only been given to older, much more experienced agents. Then again, maybe he should just make a new home somewhere far away from Washington DC and Missouri.

"Do you think I could ever call London home?" he asked Nemo quietly.

The captain smiled. "Any place can be called home if that is where your heart truly dwells."

Sawyer returned the smile, watching the ship maneuver its way into a port and watching the crew get the ship ready to land. As the ramps were lowered onto a dock, Skinner came back out on the deck and clapped Sawyer on the back.

"Want to go to a pub with me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"You know perfectly well which one. We can go see the love of my life!"

Sawyer stifled a laugh and followed Skinner back into the ship. This evening was probably going to be many things and dull was not one of them.

* * *

Henry caught Mina around the waist as she hauled herself over the wall he had just jumped and tried to land gracefully on the other side. One tall side of the castle bordered the wall and a fair-sized window looked over the small courtyard they found themselves in. He supposed it was probably the window to the guest room that Jonathan Harker had occupied. The walls around the courtyard were fairly low and one could see over them easily, they were just a bit too tall to jump over gracefully.

Mina smiled at him. "Thanks," she replied, stepping away from him. Henry could have almost slapped himself for forgetting that she did not really want any man to take care of her. That was probably the reason that she had rejected Sawyer's first advances. Not that he had even noticed Sawyer's advanced at the time because Hyde had been so omnipresent in his head. All he noticed was Gray and what a complete bastard the man was.

He watched as Mina strode over to the other wall adjoining the castle and peer over it. "Jonathan said something about the crypt being in a shed away from the house," she muttered to herself and then looked over the other walls. That fact had already been established earlier that day. She pointed to the first wall she looked over. "That is probably our best bet since it leads behind the castle.

"Let's hope you're right," Henry muttered. He picked up and shouldered the bag he had brought containing the host and holy water along with the stakes and other necessary paraphernalia. Mina jumped over the wall and paused, waiting for him. He pushed himself up and swung his legs to the other side, so he was sitting on the wall. He then slid down and adjusted the bag on his shoulder.

Mina began the walk behind the castle. He followed not particularly wanting to argue with her or say anything to the contrary. She was the one who had been here before, the one who had seen Count Dracula and the one who supposedly knew where she was going. He thought it would be in his best interest to keep quiet and be present with the bag if they found anything today (which was looking highly unlikely.)

The sun climbed higher and higher overhead. They would soon have to head back if they wanted to be back at the hotel before sunset. As they rounded a corner to the back of the castle, they came upon a wooden shed. Henry tried to mask the look of surprise on his face. Why would anyone built a shed so near to a castle like this? Mina tried the door and it was unlocked. She turned and her eyes met his. The interior of the shed was like any normal shed, except for the fact that it was completely empty save for the random bits of straw on the floor.

"This is strange," Mina whispered. "I remember this shed, but I think his coffin used to be up here. Why could he have moved it?"

"Because you know where it is," Henry replied. She looked as though this thought had never occurred to her. "He might have it underground somewhere where it would be harder to find." Looking up at the ramshackle roof on the shed, he walked towards the center of the small room, kicking at the dirt absently. And then he hit something solid.

Within seconds, the two of them were on the ground, dusting the dirt away from what was obviously a trapdoor. The large metal ring to lift the door was extraordinarily flat as if the person who built it did not want it to be found. But when they tried to open the trapdoor, it wouldn't give even an inch. It was locked from the inside.

"You have a hack saw, right?" Mina asked.

He sighed, knowing what they would have to do to seal the crypt. "Let's not try to open it right now. If he awakes and finds it tampered with we'll find him. We can file through it tomorrow when we get here."

Mina nodded and they kicked the dirt back over the trapdoor. After the obstacle course consisting of jumping two walls, they found the horses just as they had left them and began the long trek back to the hotel.

_ To Be Continued..._


	15. Will You Be There?

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Fifteen: Will You Be There?**

Mina sat down in one of the armchairs in the hotel room later that evening, not sure what to think or do. It would seem that they had found Dracula's crypt and that it would be a simple matter of sealing his tomb or killing him when he slept during the day. And the scent of blood had been driving her mad ever since they returned from the castle. She had made a vow to herself to only drink the blood of the evil riffraff of the world. How long had it been since she had any blood? A very long time- longer than it had ever been before. Henry opened the door and came into the room. She was immediately plagued by the scent of his blood- warm, sweet and coursing through his veins.

She took in a deep, shaky breath, trying to breathe through her mouth and ignore the scent of his blood. Trying to concentrate on anything else, her mind kept wandering to the blood. She should go out and hunt- it would help the monstrous headache she had. Henry gave her a concerned look as she felt a spasm in her stomach. God, she was going to die if she did not get any blood.

"Mina, are you all right?" He gently touched her arm. She swatted his hand away, vaguely registering the hurt and confused look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked with much more force in his voice.

"Get out of here," she whispered.

"Do you need blood?"

"Get out of here," she growled.

"Mina?"

She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was standing over her, the worry that filled those cobalt eyes drove her almost mad. Jonathan… his expressions were so much like Jonathan's… he was so much like Jonathan… but he was not Jonathan.

"Henry, listen to me," she said softly in an extremely controlled voice. "I have to have blood and if you do not get out here now, I will end up draining you to the point of death and that is the last thing I want on my conscience." Mina closed her eyes so he would not see the way that they almost rolled up in her head at that moment. Every vampire sense was telling her to drink from him and every human sense was telling her to leave the room that moment. He loved her… and look what happened to all the other men that loved her.

He sighed and gently moved her face so she was looking at him. "Then go hunt," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her preternatural eyes could see the faint beating of the artery in his neck. She wanted nothing more than to sink her fangs into his throat and feel the blood rush into her mouth, sweeter than life itself.

"You don't understand," she hissed. "I can barely walk, let alone go outside and find some poor person who has no clue what is going to happen to them."

He did not say anything, but he did not move either. Did he have no idea what was about to happen? The vampire in her was about to come out much in the same way that Hyde came out of him. She would end up feeding on him whether she wanted to or not. He had to get out of here! Did he not understand what she was telling him? Thank God that Jonathan had died before he could see her like this, this raving lunatic who wanted blood.

And she did the only thing she could to make him understand. She hit him. She hit the only man to ever truly love her since Jonathan. She hit him squarely across the face. He staggered backwards just as the preternatural strength within her was unleashed and she jumped off the balcony of the hotel room with a flutter of bat wings and disappeared into the night, looking for an unknowing victim. And she did not register his reaction to any of it, did not see the crushing pain through his eyes and the hurt rejection over his face.

* * *

"Do you understand now, you worm? Do you understand that she would have fed on you? Did you not see the danger in any of this? Let me out. I'll take care of that bitch when she returns. I'll use her own tools on her. I'd love to see her head roll and her blood spill across this room."

Henry didn't reply. The hard wooden floor of the room seemed like an inviting coffin as he curled in a fetal position. He understood now. Oh, he understood now. He knew what he saw and it was the vampire- not Mina. When she had asked him to 'love her and not the vampire', he had thought he knew what it meant. He knew nothing. A tear slipped down his cheek. He should have known when he had that dream that Hyde was coming back. And here the monster was.

_ "Monster am I? That's what your little fiancée is!"_

He could not fathom why he was so upset over what had happened. He knew that it could happen at any moment… to Mina… No, he knew why he was really so upset. He had been at peace these past few weeks and had not given Hyde a thought except to think about the reintegration process. Now, he knew what freedom he had then. He could not go back to having Hyde's voice in his head at all times. He would go mad. He could not do this. He could not live that life again.

_ "Well, get used to it. You are living that life again! You thought you could shut me out forever. Drink the elixir! You want it. You want to get even."_

"You know nothing," Henry whispered, pushing himself up so he was sitting with his back against a leg of the bed. With shaking fingers, he pulled at the knot of his tie and threw the thing off himself. He then shed his collar in the same quaking fashion and pulled at the top buttons of his shirt until they gave way, not even caring if they remained intact. What evil had he truly unleashed on himself? It was like a huge black void that he could never know the full extent or power of. He thought of going to church with his father as a child… he remembered the mandatory worship attendance during medical school… the rosary that he always took with him for no apparent reason… he belonged in hell. No one else in his class during medical school would have thought to tamper with the good and evil in man. He belonged in hell- there was no other place that would accept him.

_"Get up and quit crying! Or I will force myself out!"_

"No," Henry replied. And then he felt a crushing pain running from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes. It was the pain he felt when he took the formula and transformed into Hyde. Edward was trying to force a transformation. He focused all his energy on preventing the unwanted change. It was a raging battle in his head between himself and Hyde. His eyes began to water continually and his head felt like it would split in half if this did soon stop. Hyde was growling to be let out and cursing Henry to hell. Throughout all the pain, he managed to crack a smile. "We belong in hell," he choked out.

And as suddenly as the pain had started, it ended. Henry picked himself up from where he had sprawled on the floor and studied his hands… normal. He almost wanted to cry for joy- he had never been able to stop Hyde from forcing the transformation before. It was a small triumph over his devil.

_"Oh you think you're rid of me? We will see about that! You will never be rid of me!"_

"We'll see about that claim," Henry whispered, feeling the quiet exhaustion creep into all of his limbs.

_"I will get you when you sleep!"_

"You don't understand. I've won this battle. There will be no unexpected transformations."

He lay down on the bed, full clothed. He used to fear sleep and never wanted it to come- only sleeping as long as he had to. But now he felt properly tired and ready to sleep. He felt like he would be safe sleeping- that Hyde would not come out while he slept and the days of going to sleep as himself and waking as Hyde would be over. At least that is what he fervently hoped was true as he closed his eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

This pub had to be the filthiest place, a cesspool for lowlifes and criminals, he had ever been to in his entire life and that was putting it mildly, Sawyer thought as he thoughtfully sipped the rather putrid beer he had just been served. For once in his life, he was glad that he didn't smoke, because the room was so full of smoke, it was impossible to see anything. Some scantily clad dancers graced the stage with their cacophonous singing and the hardened hooligans actually cheered them on for their lack of talent. Skinner certainly picked a good one this time. The gentleman thief was sitting next to him, fully clothed and head fully painted with greasepaint.

Sawyer did not see the point of this exercise since they had not seen hide nor hair of this Abigail character since they had come to this pub two hours ago. He was ready to just pay for the disgusting drinks they had been served, go back to the Nautilus and go to bed. He did not normally have a headache unless he had a hangover, but all the smoke and noise was getting to him. His temples were pounding.

"Seen her yet?" he asked Skinner in a voice that clearly said 'if you haven't seen her by now, then we are bloody leaving!'

Skinner looked nonplussed. "Perhaps she don't work here anymore."

"Trust that luck," Sawyer muttered to himself. Only with Skinner could he have gotten dragged into sitting a cesspool of a pub for hours on end looking for a girl that would not recognize Skinner who probably did not work at the cesspool of a pub anymore. He could not imagine that any girl would want an invisible man following her. The League had not been too shocked to find out he was invisible but the things a normal person not used to the extraordinary would think were various and none of them good. Even Skinner himself had said that she had thought he died and was a spirit. Charming….

"Best beer, eh mate?" Skinner elbowed him in the ribs. Sawyer smiled wanly. He would rather have been drinking moonshine in his uncle's barn at this point in his life. One glass of that stuff and one was completely gone.

He envied Nemo for staying on the ship to wait for some contacts- at least he would not have to put up with this pub. Then again, he could not particularly imagine Nemo coming along on an exploit like this. He wondered what sort of contacts Nemo needed to meet here. Perhaps it had something to do with supplies or maintenance of the ship- he didn't know. And knowing Nemo and his humanitarian ways it did not have anything to do with actual piracy.

Loud raucous laughter grated Sawyer's very brain and he turned to see the source of the noise- several large seafarers were laughing over a table full of empty mugs of beer. Somehow Sawyer subscribed to his aunt's idea of 'do your drinking at home where it's proper!' The pubs that he and Huck had gone to were nowhere near this awful. But, as he had told himself many times, this was Skinner and Skinner was a thief.

Somebody quite suddenly roared. Sawyer swung around and ducked quickly to avoid being hit by a flying mug. The mug crashed behind the bar, dripping beer down the wall and breaking more of the bottles on the wall. Sawyer stood up briefly trying to find the source of the sudden violence and was pulled back down on the floor by a barmaid he had not seen before.

"Eh mate, better get down or you'll lose your head!" She spoke with a pronounced Cockney accent. Sawyer looked up to find Skinner and his heart sank into his stomach when he saw Skinner in the thick of the fight.

"You're here with Skinner, then eh?" the barmaid continued as though the huge fight was nothing more than a nightly occurrence that would die down soon.

Sawyer nodded. "That's right," he called over the din. "Who're you?"

"Abby McCourtney, at your service governor!"

He thought for a moment. Hadn't Skinner said that his ex-girlfriend's name was- "Abby?" he asked. When she nodded, he continued. "We've been sitting here for hours! All you had to do was appear and then we could have left."

"Well, I didn't make an appearance because he was here!" she retorted huffily. Her face was heavily made up so it was impossible to tell what she really looked like. Her dark red hair fell down her face in lanky curls and her blue eyes were bloodshot. If Sawyer didn't know better, he'd say she almost looked like- "A prostitute?"

He nodded mutely. "How did you know I was thinking that?"

She shrugged. "Was written all over your face. I'll give you a whole night for half price just because you're a friend of Skinner's."

"No. You don't understand. I'm not looking for a whore. Skinner was looking for you."

"He does all the time. However, I am not looking for him." She paused and gave him a once over. Sawyer felt his cheeks color and his forehead grow hot. "What's your name?"

"Tom," he replied merely. "Look, I don't want a whore. I have a fiancée back in America who would kill me if she ever found out." That was a lie. He did not have a fiancée, but, even if only for a moment, he could pretend to himself that he was engaged to Becky, it was well worth it. Abby just snorted.

"What she don't know ain't going to hurt her." She took his face in her hands and gave him to roughest kiss he had ever had in his life. He wrenched her away from him, knowing that he would never feel like he did with Becky or Mina with a whore.

"Does Skinner know you're a whore?"

"I wasn't a whore until he died."

Sawyer shook his head. "He's not dead. He's just invisible. He stole the process from a scientist."

Abby looked unimpressed. "If he was invisible, he would have reappeared."

"It's not that easy. It's permanent."

"Look, Tom, Skinner is dead and you just need to get used to the fact that, for however long it is that you have known him, he is a ghost."

"He's not dead!"

Abby shook her head sadly. "You need help little man." She stood up and went towards the side door of the pub. "If you ever need my particular brand of services, you know exactly where to find me, governor."

Sawyer watched her retreating figure and knew that this adventure in the pub would be two hours of his life he would never regain. He doubted that Skinner had seen her. He stood up and observed the diminishing fight or more… the fight had ended and he had been too busy trying to talk sense into Abby to realize it. He looked around for Skinner and felt a fluttering sense of panic in his chest. The gentleman thief was nowhere to be seen.

But he probably got rid of the clothes and make-up, Sawyer told himself. That is what he did every time the League went into battle and there was no reason that he would have forgotten it in the middle of a common pub.

"Skinner?" he hissed, trying not to draw attention to himself by talking to a person who did not seem to be anywhere in sight.

The clanging of a fire engine came from out on the street. Sawyer ran outside the pub and took a moment to register what the large vehicle was outside. It was not a common fire engine like he had thought- it was a police wagon. The feeling of panic came back exponentially as he watched the retreating wagon. A familiar voice called out from the bars on the back, "Sawyer! They're taking us to the local jail!"

Skinner had managed to get himself arrested in a common bar fight. M did not exist- there was no amnesty anymore. The invisible man would need to be bailed out and Sawyer did not have enough money on him at the particular moment in time to do it. He turned and ran in the direction of the place where the Nautilus was in port. A roaring had started in his ears as a sense of complete urgency took him over and it prevented him from knowing just how loudly he was screaming Nemo's name. The captain came out onto the deck looking worried.

"There's no time to explain," Sawyer gasped. "We have to go help Skinner!"

_ To Be Continued..._


	16. Vengeance

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Sixteen: Vengeance**

Tom sat on a bench in the lobby of the police station, ill at ease with everything. Beside him was Hasaan, sporting a large billfold full of enough of the correct currency to bail Skinner out of jail. Nemo, not wanting to go near the police for obvious reasons, had sent his butler and Hasaan, while keeping a neutral expression, would probably have preferred to let Skinner rot away in jail as it would save him some headaches once they were back aboard.

He did not know why he was so nervous about being here. He had not done anything that would lead the police to suspect him of anything. And yet, there was just a feeling of foreboding about the place. He had felt that way about police stations and jails ever since he was a little boy. The memory of Huck's father in the local jail in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Missouri had been permanently etched into his mind. The man had been raving drunk and cursing at Huck to give him his money. The money in question was rightfully Huck's and the only reason the sheriff had summoned Huck was because the lunatic was his father.

He almost wished for childhood days back. When he was little and had just met Becky, he had been 'engaged' to her. It was just a childhood amusement where someone would be infected with a deadly disease if they kissed the one they were 'engaged' to. She then broke off the game when she discovered he had been engaged to another little girl. They were only kids then and she ignored him for years until he began to grow up and was no longer running away to islands to be pirates with Huck. Things had been very straightforward and easy to understand then. There were others to play with, adventures to be had and never a small amount of treasure to find.

A police officer came through the lobby and gave the pair of them a suspicious look. He handed some papers to the officer behind the desk. The man behind the desk had been calling out the names of all the participants of the bar fight for the past hour, to see if anyone came to bail them out. And for some reason, he had called all the names but Skinner's like he was waiting out Sawyer and Hasaan to make sure they were really going to stay. The man gave them an arrogant look, like he had power over them.

"Rodney Skinner!"

Sawyer and Hasaan shot to their feet like bullets and crossed the small space between the bench they had been sitting on and the officer's desk. The officer sneered at them.

"And who are you?"

Tom furrowed his brow. Ordinarily, he would have imagined that the officer would have been happy to be rid of a prisoner. "Well, I'm Tom Sawyer," he started. "And this is-"

"Hasaan al Sharif," Hasaan picked up easily.

"And what relation are you to Mr. Skinner?"

"Well," Tom began again. "I'm his co-worker, you could say. And Hasaan is something like his… butler."

The police officer looked unconvinced. He shuffled some papers trying to look as important as he could. "Well, his bail is posted at two hundred pounds."

Sawyer knew that the price was much higher than anyone else had to pay. Hasaan looked completely unruffled and produced the amount in cash. The officer inspected the bills carefully as if expecting them to be forgeries. Sawyer fought the urge to roll his eyes and scream at the man to hurry up. The man scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to the officer who had previously walked in the room.

"Very well, fetch Skinner."

The man left and came back a few minutes later with Skinner in handcuffs. Skinner grinned and waved at them cheerily. "Good of you chaps to come!" he quipped as the officer took the handcuffs off him. 

"Never mind," Hasaan said brusquely. "We must be off quickly."

Sawyer never thought he would be glad for the diminutive butler to take control of things, but this time, he was.

* * *

Mina looked at Henry lying on top of the bedclothes and for the most part fully clothed. She did not know what to think of what had happened last night. The entire reason for coming here to was to destroy the reason she became an insatiable vampire. She could not remember much of what had happened other than the pure fact that she had hit Henry. With nerveless fingers, she unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt and pushed it away from his skin. She ran her fingers delicately over his throat and was relieved to find no puncture wounds. Completely unbuttoning his shirt, she searched his entire torso for any sign that she might have hurt him beyond slapping him across the face.

She gently rested her hands on his chest, feeling the rhythmic moving up and down of his chest. It was almost as though she was trying to be sure he was still alive and he was not dead like Jonathan. Count Dracula had drained Jonathan to the point of death. She did not want to know that Henry died like that and she had been the cause. He sighed in his sleep and she could have cried for joy. She sat down next to him on the bed and laid her head on his chest. His arms came around her and pulled her completely on the bed so she was lying next to him. Closing her eyes, she sighed with relief as he held her close, not even sure if he was awake or if it was a subconscious movement in his sleep.

"Henry?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to wake him if he truly was asleep.

"Hmmm?" he replied sounding as though he had just woken up or as though he were still half-asleep.

She smiled. "Are you all right?"

He gave a kind of half-chuckle. "I'll be all right. Shouldn't worry about me." He paused. "I should have known what was going to happen."

Mina laughed having an image of them being married and trying to make up after a fight- they would both take the blame and try to clear the other of guilt. In a way, that would be infuriating after some time, but in another way, it would be good to know that both of them were willing to take responsibility for their actions. She smiled.

"It's over now," she whispered.

There was no answer. She supposed that he had already gone back to sleep. The sun was just coming over the horizon and there was work to be done at Castle Dracula, but it would wait. The moment was perfect, just lying in his arms and feeling the overwhelming relief that she had not fed on him. In fact, now that she thought about it, the place where they supposed Dracula had his crypt did not look like it had been disturbed in a long time. Either the powerful vampire would know someone had disturbed his lair and come looking for them or he had been in some kind of hibernation. Perhaps the more powerful the vampire, the longer they could sleep and go without blood. She didn't know. Even though she was a vampire, she was not an expert on the subject.

She listened to his breathing for several more minutes before she sat up and pulled several large hairpins out of her hair. The reddish brown locks tumbled down her back in a straight cascade and she felt the momentary release of pressure against her scalp. Standing up, she quickly unbuttoned her blouse and slid it off her shoulders before she began to take off her corset- she hated that particular undergarment, but it was required for proper society. And she did not think that Henry would have any problems with her state of undress.

Drawing in a deep breath, she laid down next to him once again, running a hand over his exposed abdomen. No matter how much he appeared to be a weakling because his skin was so pale, he did have muscle definition on his chest. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

* * *

For the first time in a long while, he had a dream that did not disturb him. He was in a townhouse in London. The place was elegantly and practically furnished- everything in rich colors that appeared warm and vibrant to the eye. He could hear laughter that sounded as if it were coming from children. It seemed like a dream never to have, something he had hoped and prayed for his entire life. He had dreams of settling down long ago and, although he and Mina were going to be married assuming everything here settled down, he was not entirely sure that either of them would want to have children. Perhaps they should marry first and then decide what they wanted children wise.

As he slowly woke up, he kept his eyes closed, trying to remember and savor the last of a dream. Perhaps he could set up a small practice in London and they could live in a townhouse close to the office. He could take on a young partner willing to make house calls for those that might require it and he could spend more time at home. They could be happily married, an elegant childless couple or a young family with small children. It didn't matter- he would take any sort of peaceful bliss at this point in time.

He slowly opened his eyes. The sun was sinking beyond the horizon. Pushing himself up, he rubbed his eyes. He had slept for much longer than he had ever intended to. And Mina was no longer beside him. Heart pounding with slight anxiety, he looked around the room frantically.

"Quit worrying about her," he reprimanded himself softly. "She doesn't need anyone's help or protection. She can take care of herself." But that did not stop him from worrying.

_ "She's probably gotten away from you like any smart person would have done!"_

Henry rolled his eyes. "Shut-up," he growled.

_"I'm just stating the obvious truth."_

"Hyde, someday I am going to be rid of you."

There was hooting laughter in his head from Edward Hyde. He chose to ignore it and quickly got dressed. As he was reaching for his pocket watch on the nightstand, he saw a quickly scribbled note. He grasped it with trembling fingers.

_ Henry-_

_ I've gone back to the castle. That trap door had not been disturbed in years and it is highly likely that I will be able to kill him while he sleeps. Just stay at the hotel and wait for me._

_ Mina_

"Oh God!" he sputtered aloud. What in heaven's name had given her the idea that she could go after the count when it was almost sunset? He rummaged through the scattered luggage on the floor and grabbed up his rosary, a crucifix and the Host and holy water. Mina had taken the stakes and saw with her. He shoved the items into a remaining saddlebag and then picked up the Winchester and silver bullets. Trying to steady his hands, he loaded the gun and shouldered it. His eyes briefly flashed to the vials of the formula he had brought. 

"Would you protect her Hyde? Kill a vampire for her?"

_ "Kill a vampire? Sounds like great sport. I suppose their blood gushes when you drive a stake through their heart. It might look different…"_

Henry took that as an affirmative answer and shut out all of Hyde's musings on killing a vampire. He shoved the formula in the bag as well and ran outside to where the horses they had hired were stabled.

In no time, he was on the horse with all the supplies and the gun and riding off in the direction of Castle Dracula. As he rode, a million thoughts passed through his mind, each one as grotesque and horrible as the next. He imagined his beloved Mina either lay dead in some horrid manner from the Count or that the more powerful vampire had completed the transformation. If the latter were the case, then there would be no reasoning with her and he might as well try to kill her right there. But even if that was the prospect, he was not sure he could go through with it unless some glimmer of the Mina he loved came back and told him to and that was unlikely. If the former were true… well… he did not know if he could endure losing another person so dear to him.

He pulled his horse to a stop as he approached the courtyard. The walls of the castle were now black and the sun had completely set. The moon was full and shone brightly. For that, he was grateful because he had forgotten a lantern. He quickly jumped both the walls and ran to the shed. The trapdoor had been thrown open and muffled noises were coming from inside. There were steps leading downwards from the door. He put his rosary around his neck and shoved the crucifix in his pocket. The formula, the Host and holy water he shoved in his jacket pockets along with extra ammunition. Clutching the Winchester to his chest, he crept down the stairs as quietly as he could.

And the scene shocked him. A male vampire, presumably Dracula himself, had Mina by the throat and was holding her up about a foot off the floor. She was struggling mightily, but Henry could see that she would soon lose consciousness if this continued. He was only using one hand to hold her and his other unnaturally white hand was dangling at his side. Henry aimed the gun and fired, hitting the vampire squarely in the back.

Dracula turned, dropping Mina on the floor in a heap. His eyes were burning red and he bared his long sharp fangs. Henry felt his throat constrict with panic and fear. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the panic and fear and aimed again as the vampire came slowly towards him.

* * *

Sawyer stood on the deck of the Nautilus, feeling the cool sea breeze ruffle his hair. Skinner, Nemo and Hasaan were all on the deck as well. Nemo had invited Hasaan to sit with them for a while, but it was obvious that the butler was ill at ease. While he had no problem attacking people for making his job harder and harassing people while in the line of duty, he obviously was not used to being treated as an equal by Nemo. Either that or he did not want to be treated as an equal.

They were on their way back to the rendezvous point with Mina and Henry. It would appear that all was well- they bailed Skinner out of jail even though they had absolutely no necessity to, he had met the infamous Abby and found out from her why she thought Skinner was dead (and he had said as much) and they were all back on the ship, alive and well and on their way to collect the rest of their company.

"Scotch, anyone?" Skinner asked as another crew member brought out a silver tray that had a decanter of Scotch and four glasses on it. Sawyer suppressed a smile, remembering the stories of what he had said when the League first met Dorian Gray.

"Please," Sawyer replied as Skinner began to pour the alcohol and hand out the glasses. After all that had happened, he supposed that everyone would need a drink.

"Captain."

A crew member, not the same one that brought them the Scotch, came out onto the deck and bowed respectfully to Nemo. The captain nodded to show that the crew member had his attention.

"There appears to be a vessel following us."

Nemo furrowed his brow. "Impossible. There is no ship as fast as the Nautilus."

"Forgive me, Captain, but we are not at full speed."

"Then send orders to the control room to go full speed." Nemo held his hand out and the crew member gave him a pair of binoculars. He scanned behind them with the binoculars.

"What is it?" Sawyer asked.

Nemo shook his head. "I can't be sure. But we will lose them; they are already growing smaller as we speak."

"Could they know where we're going?" Skinner mused.

"Unlikely," Nemo replied. "Unless I have a traitor on my ship." He paused. "And I know that is not the case. I do not know why anyone would have a reason to follow us."

Sawyer shook his head, straining his eyes on the horizon. He could barely make out the black form a small ship- it looked like it might be able to make good time for being small and light. However, that would be good time for a normal ship. The Nautilus had gotten them from Paris to Venice in three days and he had no doubts that it could get them away from any potential threat that followed them now.

_ To Be Continued..._


	17. No Time

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Seventeen: No Time**

He aimed and fired again. This time he hit the vampire right in the heart, but it had no effect on Dracula's slowly advancing form. Whatever theory Sawyer had about bullets and vampires was completely wrong, Henry thought as he shot again. Dracula let out a slow, sinister laugh, those red eyes never once wavering.

"Bullets have no effect on me, Dr. Jekyll." His voice was low and almost sensual, practically mesmerizing. Dracula paused. "That is your name, is it not?" He let out another low sinister laugh. "You think that by coming to the aide of your fair maiden, you will somehow change the fate that is in store for her. You are wrong. She awaits a fate worse than death."

Henry had the sudden feeling that the Count could not hear Hyde in his head. He had never before heard of a vampire being able to read minds. Mina could not read minds, could she? His eyes flitted to where she was- still in a heap on the floor. She was moving slowly and, as she lifted her head, he could see her tearstained blue eyes without a trace of red. What madness, what evil had they called up?

Dracula' lips twisted into an unpleasant smile. "The gift of vampirism is different for all of us and grows when one embraces the gift." He paused once more. "But who is this Mr. Hyde you think of? Believe me Dr. Jekyll, if you have more men waiting outside, they will not do you one bit of good. Your fate is sealed."

Henry chose to ignore the last part of Dracula's little speech. "I can think of many things to call vampirism and a gift is not among them."

"Ah, you think it evil, a sin- feeding off the life force of others. No doubt you are a good Christian and have no inkling as to what a gift it is. I am immune to disease, even to death itself. I, unlike you Doctor, shall live forever." His smile faded some. "How amusing that you, a doctor, cannot understand the value of immortality. You, who try to save lives and tamper with fate… it is all planned and you cannot change it."

"You're wrong. Any man can change his fate."

Dracula laughed. "But have you noticed, I am not a man."

Henry had not realized how close Count Dracula had come to him until the vampire suddenly reached out, those white hands quicker than lightening, and grasped him around the neck. He grabbed at the hands, trying to pry them loose, but they were like a stone clamped around his neck, slowly choking the life out of him. Desperate and frantic, he flailed his arms for a moment before hitting the bulge in his pocket. He could not understand why the rosary had not stopped the vampire… he had a nasty feeling that it had never been blessed by a priest since his father did not believe in such things. He pulled the crucifix out of his pocket.

A loud hissing noise filled his ears and he was dropped on the ground. He looked up. Dracula had bared his fangs and looked like he would have very much liked to kill Henry right then and there. Those red eyes seemed to glow even more. Suddenly, Dracula whirled around and his arm hit Mina squarely across the face. She went flying backwards into a wall. The stake and hammer had been knocked from her hand. For a fleeting moment, he felt a sense of pride that she had taken the chance while Dracula had been distracted.

Another horrid smile lit up the Count's face. "So you may be protected… that will not save Mrs. Harker here. There is no way she can protect herself from me. And her fate will be worse than yours." He hissed. "You will wish for death before I am done with you."

He advanced on Mina. Her eyes grew round and wide. She tried to scrambled away from Dracula, but found only the wall she had hit earlier. He grabbed her by the neck with one hand and pushed her hair away from her throat. The Count bared his fangs and lowered his head towards that exposed section of throat.

Henry thought fast. He looked around and saw the Winchester lying on the ground where he had dropped it when Dracula grabbed him. Shoving the crucifix in his vest pocket, he ran up to the Count before he could feed on Mina and make her a full fledged vampire and hit him across the back with the gun. Dracula shrugged his shoulders upward and looked over his shoulder at Henry.

"You just do not know when to stop do you?"

A powerful white arm flew out and Henry felt his body propelled upward and into the far wall of the room. Only after he hit the ground, did he feel a crushing pain in his face centered on right eye. A moment's roaring in his ears subsided and he could hear Mina screaming.

"Henry! Get out of here! Save yourself! Go! Please!" He looked up and saw the tears streaming down her face, as she struggled against the hold that the Count had on her. Dracula was laughing at the very thought of her predicament.

Henry shook his head, hearing another voice as loudly and persistently as he was hearing Mina's pleas and Dracula's laughter.

_"Let me out! I'll take care of that bastard vampire! Let me out! You can't do anything about him! I can! LET ME OUT!"_

The roaring became so great that Henry clamped his hands over his ears to try and think as quickly as he could. Already, Dracula was lowering his head to Mina's throat once more. If he did not do something no, she was going to become a full vampire. Mina was screaming and fighting tooth and nail against Dracula's hold. Henry picked up the fallen Winchester and hit Dracula once more. The vampire turned around, irritated.

"When will you learn?" he asked sadly and picked Henry up, throwing him across the room once more. The world seemed to have grown fuzzy and he could see the black spots in front of his eyes. He had to do something. He just had to.

"HENRY!" Mina was screaming.

_"LET ME OUT!" _Hyde was roaring in his head.

Dracula was laughing. He blinked, trying to get rid of the black spots and trying to keep conscious. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial of the formula. It was the only way. And Hyde would find destroying a vampire great sport. He pulled the cork out of the vial with his teeth and spit it away from himself. Throwing his head back, he downed the contents of the small bottle, immediately feeling the crushing pain of the transformation.

And distantly, through the pain, he could hear Mina screaming, Dracula's horrible laughter and Hyde's roar of triumph.

* * *

Dracula's iron grip on her neck weakened. Mina kept on screaming and fighting against his grip, taking into notice that he was distractedly looking over to where Henry was.

"What the devil is he doing now?" Dracula asked, almost sounding as if the delays were nothing more than a bore. The Count dropped her ungracefully on the ground. She landed on her tailbone and could feel the painful vibrations of her fall up to the top of her skull. Her eyes immediately focused on where Henry was or where he should have been. She began to scream again as she realized he was just completing the transformation into Hyde. The body writhed and twisted into grotesque images and shapes as Henry's scream of pain became a deeper and much more menacing voice. His hair grew shorter and his skin darker and more mottled, as his body grew into the hulking form she had come to know as Edward Hyde.

Hyde stood up and shook his head. Dracula looked faintly amused.

"And who the devil are you sir?" the Count asked with a laugh. "The only thing I find in your mind is the pleas and instructions of Dr. Jekyll."

Hyde growled. "He is my maker."

"And what exactly are you? You must be something since you have a creator." Dracula gave a hooting laugh. "This is quite like that horror story that that Shelly girl wrote."

The mottled and disfigured face of Hyde twisted into an unpleasant smile to match the one that Dracula wore. "I'm evil," Edward Hyde replied. 

The Count continued laughing. "Well, dear boy, many people argue that I am evil and you do not see me espousing that to the world."

Hyde laughed and as abruptly as he started, he stopped. "You misunderstand me, my dear Count. I am pure evil- everything evil that you have ever known." And with that, Hyde loosed one huge fist and sent Count Dracula straight into the ceiling of the dirt room they were in. Huge chunks of earth fell to the floor with the prostrate body of the Count, his preternatural white skin contrasting sharply with the dark brown dirt.

Mina stifled a gasp. She had not known that Henry would resort to using Hyde. The question was, could Hyde do what Henry and she could not? The huge man snorted as the Count remained on the ground a second longer than was necessary. She did not know what to think. Moments ago she had been close to becoming a full vampire and now Hyde had seemingly grounded the Count with one punch. The Count pushed himself up and Mina inwardly felt completely sick.

One side of Dracula's face was bleeding and bruised from Hyde's punch. His jaw had been broken and a piece of gleaming white bone was sticking out. A horrible squelching noise began and Mina watched half in horror and half in wonder as his entire face began to mend itself. She was strongly reminded of the fight she had with Dorian and how that same phenomenon would happen to both of them when injured. She recalled the bullet wounds just melting away when Dorian was shot. She should have known that this was going to happen here.

Hyde, however, looked completely nonplussed. He calmly watched as Dracula bared his fangs and looked from himself to Mina as if deciding who would make the better victim. The Count suddenly flew in her direction and she felt his fangs sink into her neck. She let out a cry of pain and fear. And just as soon as she had felt the fangs in her neck, they were ripped out and she beheld the Count in Hyde's huge fists. Edward threw the Count against the far wall, guarding Mina with the huge form that was his body.

She reached up and felt her neck. Her fingers came back coated in warm sticky blood. The Count was standing up once more.

"Yes, Henry!" Hyde was growling to himself. "I am not going to let anything happen to her!" He turned slightly to Mina. "Get the stakes and the hammer as soon as you can!" he hissed before the Count jumped on him and sank his fangs into Hyde's neck.

Mina wanted to laugh. That would only make Hyde mad. And it did- he wrenched the Count off of him and threw him against another wall. And giving Hyde the vampire bite would only make him more fearsome and evil- not something that was exactly desirable when someone was like Hyde. His hulking form approached the Count and picked him up once more, slamming him into the ceiling.

She looked frantically around the room. There was no way of telling when the Count would get loose from Hyde and come after her again. The stakes were lying scattered to her right and the small mallet was to her left. She grabbed the mallet and then scrambled over to the stakes on her belly and picked one up. The blood on her neck was uncomfortably warm and itchy. She was used to anyone's blood but her own.

Hyde grabbed the Count around the neck and slammed him into the floor. The Count struggled mightily against Hyde's seemingly iron grip.

"Mina! Now!" Hyde yelled.

She scrambled to her feet and ran over to where Hyde held Count Dracula down. Positioning the stake over his heart, she raised the mallet and looked briefly at the face of the Count. It was frozen in horror, as though he had never thought this would happen to him. Without a second thought, she brought the mallet down and drove the stake deeply through his heart.

The Count let out an agonized scream like some kind of animal and his mouth opened as wide as it would go. Blood gushed from around the stake, covering her skirt and hands as she put the final blow on the stake. Dracula's hand fell lifeless by his side and his eyes remained opened. She watched as they faded from red to a hazel color.

And Hyde suddenly handed her the small saw. Feeling the scorn for what Dracula had done to her, who he had taken from her and what he had condemned her to for so many years, she quickly sawed through his neck, not even caring that she was getting even more blood all over herself. She crawled to a corner and picked up the bag full of garlic she had brought with her. Forcing Dracula's mouth open, she stuffed it full of garlic and shut it again.

"Hyde," she said in a sort of dead voice. "Dig a hole and we'll put him in it."

Hyde nodded and lifted huge chunks of earth out of the floor with his hands. He then placed the body of the Count in it and shoved dirt over it. He buried Dracula's head in another place in the cellar.

Mina fell to her knees, feeling the sudden exhaustion come over her. She poked her tongue up to her teeth, feeling the absence of a fang. The cold and clammy air in the cellar suddenly hit her skin and she felt goose-bumps form. Hyde was looking down at her, as if waiting for his instructions. She looked up at him and knew that there was much to be said between herself and Edward Hyde.

* * *

Nemo had been out on the deck every night for the past few days. Sawyer did not know what to think of it, other than the fact that it might have something to do with the vessel that had appeared to have been following them. It was impossible that any ship was still near them. They were almost to the rendezvous point.

Sawyer climbed up the ladder leading to the deck and found Nemo there, scanning the horizon with a huge pair of binoculars.

"We almost there?" he asked, knowing that the question made him sound like a whiny little kid.

Nemo nodded. "We will be there late tomorrow morning."

"Early?"

Nemo just shook his head. "I only hope that we do not have to wait too long for Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Harker. I fear this recent encounter with the police has woken a sleeping monster."

"How? We got Skinner out all right. How could they connect it with you?"

"They have many ways."

Sawyer looked out at the horizon. "Nemo, there's nothing there. This is the boat that got us from Paris to Venice in three days. No one could be following us."

"I wish I had your optimism."

He smiled to himself, remembering the impassioned speech he had given the League right after M bombed the Nautilus. It was one of the few times he had referred to Huck when he walked about anything to them. That had also been the time when, for a short while, Mina had renewed her interest in him. Before that, she had made it clearly known that she was not interested in him- only in the scum of the earth known as Dorian Gray. Three weeks ago, he would have been thrilled to know that Mina wanted a relationship with him. Now that she had chosen another and she was not present, he was not sure that he would have ultimately wanted that relationship. Mina was so many things that he was not nor could ever be.

He thought back to his home and the people there. He might not want to ultimately live in St. Petersburg, Missouri, but he did know that Becky Thatcher lived there. Maybe he would go back if only for a little while.

"Thinking of home?"

Sawyer looked to Nemo. The captain had a small smile on his face. "My childhood home." He sighed. "I don't know if that is home anymore."

"Ah, but that is where all your roots are." Sawyer smiled as Nemo continued. "Some day I would like to go back India and see whatever became of my family."

"Sounds like they either died out or are half the population."

Nemo laughed. "That is probably not entirely incorrect."

Sawyer turned back to the side of the ship and the black nighttime waters. Perhaps once they collected Jekyll and Mina, he would go off to face his own demons and do what he knew he needed to ultimately do. He needed answers.

_ To Be Continued..._


	18. One and the Same

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Eighteen: One and the Same**

Mina sighed. The hulking form of Edward Hyde was still standing over her, as if awaiting instructions. Of course, Henry was probably telling him to remain with her and he, for once, was listening. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, noticing that her hands were caked with mud and blood. It felt itchy and disgusting, but there was little to be done about it now. Her clothes were in much the same state. Her hair had come out of the bun and the ends made her back itch uncomfortably. She was feeling so much sensation all of a sudden… it was going to take some time for her to readapt to it.

She beckoned to the huge man in the room with her. "Come on Hyde." Her voice felt different, not as deep and without the sensual tone she had come to take for granted. It sounded like a high alto now, not the dark tenor tone she had before.

Moving towards the stairs and slowly mounting them, she knew that Hyde was following her. As she came into the shed, the night air was cool and without the clammy feeling from the cellar. The wooden door had swung shut- probably when Henry came. She glanced backward at Hyde, who was lumbering out of the cellar. It was so hard to believe that Henry was in there somewhere… that this beast was some remote part of Henry that he had awoken without knowledge of what would happen. Her filthy hands pushed the door open. She would need a bath when she got back to the hotel- a good one. Her mind briefly flicked to images of her and Henry in the bath together- but as quickly as the erotic images came, she shut them out.

Slumping against the wall to the courtyard, she let the exhaustion overtake her for a second time. Hyde stood over her, looking unsure what to do. It almost made her wonder what kind of secret hatred he harbored for her. He needed to go back to wherever it was he came from- somewhere deep in Henry's consciousness. She could imagine Henry with that stronger part of him back in place- he would not be so jumpy anymore, more… manly.

"Where did you come from?" she asked softly.

The huge man shrugged his mountainous shoulders. "I don't know. I don't remember anything before Henry took the formula the first time."

She looked up at Hyde… he had hazel eyes. How had she missed that before? How could she have never noticed that Henry's eye color changed when he transformed? Not that it was in the least way surprising. But what in the world could she say to a man who clearly believed he had as much right to exist as his creator?

"Hyde…" she began. "Have you ever thought that you might be an extension of Henry?"

He shrugged once more. She had the distinct feeling that Edward Hyde did not do too terribly much thinking unless it was about an activity inherently evil.

"Perhaps you should allow yourself to be reintegrated with him." His face instantly changed into a vision of fury. Obviously, that gently suggestion was not something that Hyde considered an option.

"Look, lady!" he practically roared, shaking the very air around her and shattering the peace of the night. "I got as much right to exist as he does!"

Mina sighed. She was not going to get anywhere with him. He was not going to take suggestions from anyone. And yet, she did not think that either Henry or Hyde could live harmoniously if they continued to share the same body. There had to be another tactic… one that Hyde would understand and it had to involve force…

"Hyde, think of Henry as your creator."

"I know he is already," the beast growled.

"Well," she paused. "To continue the metaphor, Henry would be something like God to you, right?" Hyde nodded slowly. "God can kill people- his own creations. The Bible is littered with instances where he killed. If God, the real one, can destroy his creatures, then what makes you believe that Henry cannot do the same to his."

"He's weaker than me," Hyde growled.

"Yes, he is," Mina agreed. "But you cannot be destroyed normally. The impasse we have come to is that if you are killed, Henry dies as well." She paused again. "I do not believe that you want to die." Hyde shook his head. "Then why not go back to the part of Henry's mind you can from and be content to you that you will still exist, even if only in a small part, forever. Can you understand that?"

"You're saying, that if Henry or me dies then the other dies as well?" he asked slowly, as if piecing together the information.

Mina nodded. "Yes. Just go back to where you belong and you shall exist forever as a part of Henry Jekyll. You are only a part of him to begin with- just a magnified part of the whole."

"That don't make much sense."

"It will. You will see."

Hyde nodded slowly. Then he threw his head back and growled through his clenched teeth. Mina closed her eyes in silent relief. She did not know if the formula had run out or if Henry was forcing the transformation back or if Hyde was fading and allowing Henry to come forward. When she opened her eyes again, she beheld the transformation half way over. She would never be able to decide which direction of the morphing was worse- but the change back to Henry was more heartening. His body shrank and the skin became lighter and without blemishes. His screams of pain died down to a loud panting- his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. She smiled. The man she loved was back.

He lay on the grass for a moment, his bare torso a sharp contrast with the dark foliage. His shirt and jacket had been ripped beyond repair, recognition or use as it always was. She smiled, thinking that he might have saved more shirts by removing them before morphing.

He slowly raised himself up on his arms, breathing heavily. She crawled across the small space between them and held out her arms to him. A smile crossed his lips as he collapsed into her arms, burying his face in her neck. "Oh Mina," he said softly, as she wrapped her arms tightly around his back.

"So we have faced our demons," she whispered. "Have we won?"

Henry gently held her out at an arms length, smoothing her hair down and pushing it behind her ear. He smiled broadly. "I believe we have."

The emotion expressed in his eyes was something more than mere relief- it was much more akin to pure happiness. It was some kind of inner peace that had before been lacking. And there was much reason for it. The very evil that both of them had been struggling against was gone and that evil would not destroy the other. It was like being Rip Van Winkle and awaking to life again after so many years. She smiled. The moisture on the grass- cool and crisp, the gentle night breeze, the feel of her skin against Henry's albeit she was filthy… she could stay in this moment forever.

The rosary was still around his neck… she was not sure how or why it had survived with Dracula throwing Henry around and then the transformation into Hyde, but it was still here and in one piece. She gently ran her fingers over the beads, not remembering what they meant or stood for. She held the small cross for a moment, grateful that her curse was over.

"We should probably go back to the hotel," he said softly.

Mina nodded in agreement. "We'll have to sneak in the back. Just look at the state we're in."

Henry laughed and stood up. He held out a hand to her which she gratefully took and before she knew it, he had picked her up and was swinging her around. Her hips were pressed against his waist. She smiled and threw her arms out in a joyful gesture. Never since Jonathan died had she felt so young and… alive. They slowly came to a halt and he set her back on her feet. "We can get married tomorrow," he whispered. "I'll arrange everything with Father Fitzgibbon."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes!" he declared. "As soon as possible! We've waited too long already…"

She grinned, feeling as though she were gliding on the wings of a bird that was made up of nothing but happiness. The moon was casting its silver glow over them and as she looked into his eyes, she noticed something she had never seen before. His cobalt blue eyes had specks of hazel in them. Hyde had truly been reintegrated. No more vampires… no more formula… they were truly free from every evil that had previously chained them.

* * *

Sawyer trooped along behind Nemo as they walked along the pier. They were at the rendezvous point with Mina and Henry. However, Mina and Henry weren't due here until noon tomorrow so they still had some time to kill. The night was unusually bright and the stars glittered overhead, perhaps it was misleading or maybe it was an omen. Tom did not know and he did not think it was a subject he would ever master.

He was going with Nemo to the local post office to send a telegram. The telegram was going to the Hotel Royale in Klausenburgh to inquire if Mina and Henry had arrived safely. The early setting sun was misleading as it was still rather early evening. Nemo assured him that they would have a reply before midnight and it was from that reply that they would plan their next course of action. If Mina and Henry were at the hotel, they would remain where they were and leave as soon as the pair was back aboard. If they weren't… well, Nemo had said the three of them- himself, Sawyer and Skinner- would have a conference to decide what was going to happen.

Skinner was back aboard the ship and Nemo had posted sentinels before they left. He was still unclear as to what all the danger was. Sure, those police officers in London had been less than desirable human beings and were probably just intrigued with the invisible man that they had arrested. Hasaan could have been anyone. Perhaps Skinner grew up in a rich household and Hasaan was the butler. There were many ways to explain it. And his experience with the police in London was that they were not too bright… how could one Indian such as Hasaan, connect them with Nemo?

The post office- when they arrived- was little more than a shack, set-up with a telegraph and other paraphernalia that such a business might require. The man helping them was seated behind a desk- but that did not disguise the fact that he was shorter then even Hasaan or the cook. He had a bushy mustache and round-framed glasses that kept sliding off his noise. And if he had no other redeeming qualities, he spoke broken English.

"I'd like to send a telegram to the Hotel Royale in Klausenburgh," Nemo said slowly and clearly. The man gave him a slightly puzzled look. Nemo stood by, infinitely patient.

"Send a telegram to… Klausenburgh?" the man asked.

"That is correct. The Hotel Royale. It needs to be addressed to the landlady- her name is Mrs. O'Malley."

The little man was off writing down all the details. He then handed the slip of paper to Nemo for approval. The captain nodded and the little man was off typing a formal copy of the telegram and then putting it in the telegraph via Morse code.

Sawyer's thoughts wondered while all of this was taking place. He wondered what had happened to Jekyll and Mina since they had parted. About the only interesting thing they had done was manage to be in a bar when a fight was happening and then they had to bail Skinner out of jail- not that any of that was unexpected or out of the ordinary. He almost wondered if they succeeded in killing Count Dracula… it did not seem likely. But around this group of people, anything was known to happen. He had learned to expect the unexpected.

His brown eyes absently watched as Nemo counted out the correct change for the man in the correct currency. It amazed him that Nemo had so much hard currency and so many different currencies. He had the feeling that no matter where Nemo went in the world, he always had money at his disposal. Perhaps being a pirate was all the propaganda made it out to be. He and Huck had run away to an island when they were kids to become pirates. Of course, he knew now that they could have never survived on that island and the very reason they went home was because they had run out of food. His aunt had attributed it to his reading too many books and allowing his imagination to run wild. He could just see the look on the venerable old woman's face now if she found out he was touring the world with a bona fide pirate. She would probably turn some sickly shade of gray and have a heart attack. Aunt Polly… Aunt Polly… ever the sensible pillar of the town. Her only curse was her nephew who ran wild… or what running wild constituted in her mind.

"Come, Mr. Sawyer."

He looked up and realized that Nemo had completed the transaction. He followed Nemo out of the little shack and down the road leading back to the pier. "Who's going to stand by to get the return telegram?" he asked.

Nemo nodded. "I will station one of my men on the pier. He will make sure that we receive the telegram promptly."

"And is this Mrs. O'Malley trustworthy?"

To his surprise, Nemo laughed. "If one is dealing with money, then she is the least trustworthy person alive. However, when it comes to knowing who is at her hotel, she never lies or exaggerates." He paused. "In fact, her telegram will probably only have one word as it will save her quite a bit of money."

"Yes or no?"

The captain turned to him. "Do we really need anything else? If they are there, then they will be on the earliest carriage to here."

Sawyer nodded. "I suppose you're right. I mean how much more do we need to know?"

"My point exactly."

They continued the rest of the walk to the Nautilus in a comfortable silence. The night was crisp and cool- perfect to be out walking in. The town, for the most part, was asleep and peaceful with the obvious exception of several rowdy taverns. Like Nemo had said when they were here the first time, this was indeed a pirate's town, but no one was going to bother him. And it was true. As long as they made it clear that they were associated with Nemo, then no harm would ever befall them here.

However, the moment they walked onto the pier leading the Nautilus, they knew that something was wrong. None of the sentinels were where Nemo had placed them and they would have never moved come hell or high water. Sawyer immediately pulled one of his Colt revolvers out of the holster and gripped it tightly, ready to shoot at anything that came at them. Nemo produced a gun from inside his jacket somewhere. Nemo crept in front of him and motioned for him to follow.

They moved along the pier as silently as they could and climbed inside the hatch leading to the interior of the ship. The lights were out and there were no crew members in sight. Sawyer tried to swallow as quietly as he could. This was just entirely unnerving. Perhaps the entire crew was playing a joke on them. He doubted that. The crew were way to loyal to Nemo to even play a simple prank on him.

Someone tapped him on the back. Sawyer jumped and had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out. He turned to find Hasaan behind him. The butler held an index finger to his lips to indicate that they needed to be quiet.

"Report," Nemo whispered in the softest voice possible.

Hasaan drew in a deep breath. "The police have taken the ship. I am not sure how much of the crew are hostage and I am not sure where Mr. Skinner is. However, we can barricade ourselves in your office and we shall be safe until Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Harker come."

Nemo nodded, his calm face never wavering. "Very well. We have enough ammunition in there and the crew will be safe. They want me, not them."

Sawyer felt like fainting as he followed Hasaan and Nemo down the corridor towards the office. How in the world could the police have taken the ship? They did not have enough numbers alone to accomplish that unless more than one country was cooperating in this… unless… Sawyer shook his head, emptying it of thoughts as they entered the office and locked the door behind them.

_ To Be Continued..._


	19. A Cruel Bargain

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Nineteen: A Cruel Bargain**

Henry smiled to himself as the carriage barreled forward, taking them back to the Nautilus. Mina was snuggled up against his side and his arm was around her shoulders. Never before in his life had he felt so content, so happy. Everything he had dreamt of since joining the League had come to pass. Hyde was gone- he had not heard even the remotest whisper of the beast's voice and Mina swore that his eyes now looked different. And he was going to burn all the journals and papers on the formula the minute they were back on the ship along with any remaining vials of formula. No else needed to find this evil.

The past several days had gone by in a deliriously blissful blur. They had arrived back at the hotel in Bukovina filthy and had to sneak up the back stairs to their room. All the clothing that had been ruined that night had been burned. It was as if they had no more inhibitions about anything- laughing and practically bathing together. And with each layer of the muck and the filth that came off he could feel a certain weigh being taken from him- all the horrors were now in the past, no longer to be dwelt on. After getting rid of the dirt, he discovered he had a black eye and bruises on his neck from where the Count had picked him up along with bruises from where he had hit the walls. Everything they had brought to kill the Count had been left in that shed except for the Winchester.

The next morning, he had gone to Father Fitzgibbon at the little church. The elderly man was sweeping the front steps when Henry came up. He smiled and waved.

"Good morning, Doctor Jekyll! It is good to see you!" But his smile had faded quickly when he saw what state Henry's face and neck was in- even the high starched collar did not hide all of the bruises on his neck. "Good Lord, son, what happened to you?"

"Nothing," he had replied with a smile. "Nothing that is still important."

The priest looked concerned. "Something must have… But what can I do for you?"

"Mina and I want to get married as soon as possible."

Father Fitzgibbon raised an eyebrow. "In a hurry?" Henry nodded. "Well, you'll need to go get a license first and then at least a cheap ring, but… how does three o'clock this afternoon sound?"

Henry grinned. "That's perfect, Father!"

Father Fitzgibbon then gave him directions to the nearest courthouse. He said that there was an official there who spoke limited English, but good French and German. That man would be able to give him the license without any questions or delays. He also gave him directions of a jeweler who sold a variety of rings and would haggle over prices if one did not have enough. The lady of the shop spoke limited French, so Henry could get everything he needed. And then he was off, running errands in a strange town that suddenly seemed like the most beautiful place that he had ever been in his life.

They had gotten back to the church slightly before three and Father Fitzgibbon was waiting for them. His assistant, a young native man by the name of Father Switzenberg, was going to be a witness to the ceremony.

As the old priest recited the familiar words, he had never felt such happiness and knew by looking at Mina that the sentiment was the same. He was painfully aware of the cheap gold rings in his pocket and was entranced with what Mina had chosen to wear. Neither of them had any proper wedding attire. Her blouse was becoming- made of white linen with small, delicate lace decorations and an iron gray skirt. There was nothing at her throat- and he smiled remembering how the scars from where Dracula gave her the bite had vanished. She was beautiful and he had never thought she would love him in return. Unrequited love… that seemed to be the story of his life. But no more. The fears were gone and they could live their lives in peace without fear of Dracula or Hyde.

He could recall that tender kiss they shared at the end perfectly. Then they had to hurry to the hotel to pack and get on the midnight train to Klausenburgh. Father Fitzgibbon had joked that they would not have much time to consummate the marriage… they had just smiled knowing that the priest could not know what had happened between them previously when it was considered sinful. Now, it didn't matter.

They would be on the Nautilus soon and everyone with half a brain would know that everything was fine and their mission had been successful.

"Here we are!" the driver yelled, pulling the carriage to an abrupt halt.

He smiled at Mina as the driver threw open the door and offered a hand down to Mina. The expression in her eyes said that she would rather he had just let them get out on their own, but society required she act like a semi-helpless lady. She would rebel against that and he knew it. But it was a small matter. It didn't matter what she wanted to do, he would always love her. The driver set their bags on the ground next to them before hopping back up on the carriage and whipping the horses into action.

The Nautilus was obvious from where they stood at the end of the pier. They picked up the bags and walked the short distance to the ship.

"Where is everyone?" Mina asked softly.

And she was right. Where was everyone was indeed the question. Normally there would have been at least crew members waiting to receive them, if not Nemo, Sawyer and Skinner themselves. The ship was eerily silent and devoid of any of the usual life and bustle of the crew and guests. What in the world was going on? One hatch leading into the ship was open. Henry and Mina exchanged a glance and entered the ship.

The ship was completely silent too and the hallway the hatch led them to was deserted. Leaving their bags by the door, they slowly made their way down the hallway.

"Where would we go to find anyone?" Henry asked.

"If anywhere, Nemo's office," Mina replied. "Remember how we were all supposed to meet there when there was a supposed intruder?"

He gave her a wry smile. "I believe I recall."

She snorted and playfully smacked his arm in a place she knew to be without bruises. They moved along the corridors and up to the main level of the ship. The hatch leading out onto the deck was closed and there was no one in the control room. However, as the ascended the stairs to the office, they were provided a glimpse into the dining room. Strange men were seated around the table. If Henry didn't know any better, he'd say that they were police officers from several different countries.

Mina tried the door to the office. "It's locked," she hissed. Henry moved in front of her, always keeping an eye on those police officers and knocked softly on the door.

"Who is it?" came a muffled voice from inside the office.

"It's Mina and Henry," he replied impatiently.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and Sawyer yanked them both into the office. Skinner slammed the door behind them and put the locks quickly into place.

"We thought it was the damn police again," Sawyer said. Nemo was in his chair, behind his desk clutching a gun. Another gun was sticking out of Skinner's coat pocket and Sawyer's Winchester was over his back.

"Dear God…" Henry said under his breath. "What happened?"

"The police have taken my ship," Nemo said in a kind of dead voice.

Sawyer sighed. "The officers out there managed to capture Hasaan when he went out to try and find some food for us."

"How long have you been in here?" Mina asked.

"Since last night," Sawyer replied. "We don't really need food yet, but Hasaan insisted and now he's probably with the rest of the crew wherever the cops have them nestled."

"What do they want?" Henry asked. But his question was answered for him. Almost immediately after he spoke, a loud banging came on the door.

"Who's in there with you?" a loud, scraping voice yelled. Nemo was on his feet in an instant, brown eyes ablaze with fury. He strode over to the door.

"They are innocents!" he said, voice several decibels louder than it had ever been. "I was helping them to get home and now they cannot thanks to you!"

"Look, Nemo," the voice said again. "We've told you our terms and they're reasonable. So just cut out all this nonsense."

Henry knew his eyes were probably wide. This did not make any sense at all. How could the police have taken Nemo's ship when the entire crew would die for him? And it did not seem that Nemo knew the answer either. The warm cloud he had been floating out had been obliterated as the cold reality of their situation dawned upon him. How on earth were they going to get off this ship without being arrested, killed or dying of starvation? It did not seem possible to avoid any of the terms that he had just imagined.

"What do they want?" he asked softly.

"They want Skinner, myself and the ship," Nemo answer tightly.

"The ship?" Mina asked. "But what does that-"

"It all goes back to M," Sawyer said. "He was going to meet with the leaders of Europe about us and the Nautilus. Some of them still have wind of it."

"And they still want it," Skinner added unnecessarily. "Look, I don't doubt that I belong in jail, but-"

"I belong in jail as well," Nemo cut in. "But there is no way they can take my ship. Hasaan has co-ownership of it and if I were to be arrested, the entire ownership would fall to him." He sighed. "They won't listen to their own laws."

Henry sighed. "Perhaps if a third party-"

"I'm going with you," Sawyer said almost immediately.

"He hasn't even finished the statement," Skinner remarked.

"But you were going to say that you wanted to go out there and talk to the police." Sawyer's brown eyes held a hopeful look. He drew in a deep breath.

"I was."

"Well, then I am going with the two of you." Mina's face looked adamant as if nothing was going to stop her. He knew that one was coming as well.

"If you believe you can help…" Nemo's voice trailed off. He looked so angry and lost at the same time. It was as if he had never felt such an acute anger and was not quite sure how to react to it. Henry's heart went out to him.

He looked to Mina and Sawyer and then turned to the door, undoing the locks and the cracking the heavy steel door open. The police were no longer on the landing outside the office. The three of them slipped outside the door and quickly shut it behind them. However, they did not hear the clink of the locks being done. They were opening themselves to any sort of ambush from these officers.

A police officer was sitting outside the dining room and immediately stood up when he saw them. Another group of men came out of the dining room and observed the three of them- Sawyer still clutching the Winchester.

"State your names," the man who had been outside the dining room said.

"I'm Doctor Henry Jekyll," Henry started the introductions. His eyes flicked to Mina uncertainly. He was not entirely sure how to introduce her.

"Wilhelmina Jekyll," she supplied, shooting Tom a look that told him to express any surprise later.

"Tom Sawyer," Tom then said simply, giving himself no identification with the American Secret Service like he ordinarily would have done.

The officer looked a bit amused at the three of them. His colorless eyes flicked to Henry and Mina. "Married or siblings?" he asked as if it were a normal question. However, it was a bad question to ask in front of Tom. He cocked and aimed his Winchester and seemed like he had every intention of shooting the officer. Henry quickly placed a hand on the barrel of the gun and pushed it so that it was aimed at the ground.

"We are married," he said quietly.

The officer looked nonplussed at Sawyer's behavior. "So I assume you are here to negotiate on behalf of the two still locked in that office."

Henry gave the man a cool stare. "There is nothing to negotiate. You are here to arrest Captain Nemo and Rodney Skinner."

"And we are confiscating their property."

"That is where you are at an impasse," Mina said smoothly, picking up the thread of the conversation. "If something happens to Captain Nemo, imprisonment or otherwise, then the entire ownership of his possessions falls to his butler, Hasaan."

"Hasaan al Sharif," Sawyer added.

"We have orders-"

"Your orders are wrong," Mina said quietly. "You can arrest Skinner and Nemo, but you have no legal right to his property."

Henry sighed. "Arrest Nemo and Skinner, but for God's sake, release the crew from wherever you have them hidden away and let them go about their jobs."

"You will also find Hasaan al Sharif with them," Sawyer said, his voice edgy and tense. "He'll be able to produce all the necessary documentation for you."

The officer nodded to some of his men and they headed off towards the bowels of the vessel. He then looked to them. "I suggest you say goodbye to your friends."

Henry nodded and they went back up the stairs to Nemo's office. Nemo and Skinner immediately stood up the moment they entered. "They are not taking the ship?" Nemo asked, the slight Indian accent he normally spoke with extraordinarily pronounced. Henry nodded wearily.

"And they want us?" Skinner asked unnecessarily. Again, he nodded.

Nemo's expression went from one of anger to pure sadness. Henry closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to believe that this was not happening. The League was not being splintered more and being spread even further apart. First Allan dying, coming back and disappearing again and now this… When he opened his eyes he knew that this was indeed happening. He had gone from a daydream to a nightmare in a matter of half an hour.

A lump formed at the back of his throat as Nemo embraced the three of them in turn and whispered something in his native language. He then bowed to them looking as serene as always. Perhaps in embracing them, he had found the sort of peace he needed to remain calm in the face of what was most certainly coming in the days ahead. All three of them looked ready to cry as Nemo walked out of the room.

Skinner gravely shook everyone's hand and followed Nemo. He looked scared that something horrible would happen to him this time around in jail. They remained frozen where they were. Henry did not want to see them carted off by the police. It was not right that two people he had come to know and treasure were being traded in a cruel bargain. He did not know how much time had passed when Hasaan came in and bowed to them. It did not escape his perception that the man's eyes were slightly pink.

"Where should we set the course for?" he asked.

Henry opened his mouth, but it was Mina who spoke.

"London," she said, looking to Henry. "It's time to go home."

He nodded and looked to Sawyer. "Sawyer?" he asked, seeking his approval.

The young American nodded. "I guess I could stay there for a while."

Hasaan looked concerned. "Where would you like to go?"

"Wherever Henry and Mina go. I don't think I want to leave everyone so soon." A tear slipped down his cheek. Henry smiled sadly. It was hard to believe that their numbers had once been seven. One was lost as a traitor… one died and now remained so… two they had lost to the justice system of England… and now they were only three. He smiled as Mina laced her hand through his and they left the office. Perhaps, everything would be all right… Perhaps…

_ To Be Continued..._


	20. New and a Bit Alarming

**Disclaimer: **'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**PICKING UP THE PIECES**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Twenty: New and a Bit Alarming**

-Two Years Later-

The day was unusually sunny and bright for an autumn day in London. The sky was bright blue and not the normal overcast gray that he had come to expect. Tom pulled his long black coat around him tighter at the cool breeze that ran over the square. Mina and Henry lived across the square from him and he was expected for tea in half an hour. The letter and telegram were tucked safely into his pocket and he smiled at the very thought of them.

There was a large patch of grass complete with trees and benches in the middle of the square and on nice summer days the young mothers would bring their children there. Today, it was deserted, which suited Tom fine. He chose a bench that was situated under a large tree and sat down at one end of it. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the battered and weather-beaten letter and the telegram. He opened the letter and read it first. It was the one he had received first and the one that was the reason for his constant smile.

_Dearest Tom,_

_ I thought you would never ask! I'm taking the first ship out of Louisiana that will get me to London. Don't worry about wiring the money like you said you would- Papa has taken care of all of it. I suppose he is glad that I am finally going to be out of the house, but that will not stop him from crying when I get on the ship. I'll wire you when the ship stops somewhere and give you the approximate arrival date. I know it has been some time since we've seen one another, but I know in my heart that this is right. I have never felt anything so strongly in my life._

_ Everyone back home was so glad to see you last Christmas- more than you know. How on earth did you arrive so fast and leave so fast? I suspect it has something to do with those strange new friends you have in Europe…_

The rest of the letter was filled with newsy ramblings about everyone in St. Petersburg, Missouri and a lengthy report on his Aunt Polly's health. As much as he loved the dear old woman, there was no way that he would bring her to London so she could irritate him. She would have to be content with his love from a distance. The letter was signed:

_Love,_

_ Becky_

She did not have to restate what his fears had been in that letter. He had written to her and expected many things to happen. When he had gone back home for Christmas last year, he had not seen her and purposely avoided her, afraid that she might be married to someone else. Hasaan had taken care of all the transportation arrangements by making the trip to Missouri the last major voyage of the Nautilus for a while. The ship was now in dry dock somewhere. Tom did not know and knew that Hasaan was never going to tell him.

And now she was coming here. He almost wished she would have waited to make the transportations arrangements, because then he could have probably gotten Hasaan to take the Nautilus out of dry dock and use it to go pick her up. But it was a small matter. Soon enough she would be here and they could get married that same day. His mind wandered to the license and the ring in one of his bureau drawers in his house. His cook and housekeeper, a middle-aged lady by the name of Mrs. Devine, had been talking of nothing else for the past few weeks. He supposed she was glad that there was finally going to be a 'lady of the house.' Then again, Mrs. Devine was already gushing about possible children and how she was willing to be their nanny. Tom had just smiled, knowing already that Becky would have a thing or two to say about that assumption.

He carefully folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. He then unfolded the telegram and read it again. Skipping over the addressee part, he looked at the message:

_Tom- _

_ Arriving at East London Docks on September the third. Can't wait to see you. _

Love, Becky.

He smiled and then folded the telegram again. He placed both items securely back in his pocket. That was in two days. She would be here in two days. Mrs. Devine was in a right state, making sure that everything was perfect. Oh well. At least he was going to be out of the house this afternoon and Mrs. Devine could fuss about everything without him being 'underfoot.' It always amazed him how she had taken charge of his house so totally and completely. But he did not complain since she did her job well. She actually reminded him of all the gossiping ladies back in Missouri.

Looking at his pocket watch, he stood up and walked across the square to Henry and Mina's house. For such a beautiful day, the square certainly seemed empty. He picked up the knocker on the door and banged it several times. The door was opened almost immediately by Hasaan, dressed in white Indian garb complete with a turban.

Tom grinned remembering how Hasaan had asked Henry and Mina if he could be their butler until 'the Captain is released from prison.' Now, the diminutive man seemed right at home in their house and got along well with their housekeeper and nanny. Everyone on the square seemed to love Hasaan and it suited him well.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Sawyer," Hasaan greeted him with a slight bow. He stepped aside and allowed Tom to enter the house.

"Hasaan," Tom replied with a slight nod.

The entrance of their house was identical to his. The stairs leading to the second floor were on the immediate left and a door leading to the dining room was on the right. Everything else was reached by going down a hallway spanning from the center of the entrance hall to the very back of the house.

As Tom was handing Hasaan his coat and hat, a little boy slid down the stairs on his backside, making content gurgling noises as he went. He smiled. Thomas Allan Jekyll was just under a year old and was currently learning to walk. The boy also knew a few words and had some nonsense words he had made up to describe things. Little Tommy slid onto the landing and then hauled himself to his feet by grabbing the bottom stair rail and climbing up it.

Still clutching the rail, Tommy's face broke into a grin. "Unca' Tom!" he cried, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Smiling, Tom went over to the boy and picked him up. "Did you escape from your keepers, boy?" he asked him in a serious manner.

Tommy shook his head, still grinning winsomely.

"That's a likely story," Tom muttered under his breath.

Hasaan took Tommy from Tom. "I'll take him back to his nanny. Mr. and Mrs. Jekyll are in the parlor."

Tom nodded and grinned as Tommy waved energetically over Hasaan's shoulder as they ascended the stairs. For such a small child, Tommy Jekyll seemed like he was overly intelligent. Not that it surprised Tom since he was the offspring of Henry and Mina. He walked down the hallway leading to the back of the house to where the hall opened up into the parlor. Mina and Henry looked much the same as they always had except for the fact that she was expecting again and the baby was due in a matter of weeks. They both embraced him as thought they had not seen him in a long time. He smiled, knowing that he had been here only a few days ago. Some things, he reasoned would probably never change and he was glad that these little things seemed like they would remain the same forever.

* * *

Tom, although a casual observer would never notice it, had changed much since their most recent adventures of over two years ago, Henry reflected, smiling as Tom loaded his tea with more milk and sugar than actual tea. He looked and dressed much the same with the exception of a pocket watch that his Aunt Polly had given him last Christmas. He was fairly quiet and subdued, looking for something that he had never found. Quick to adapt to British society, he was a favorite among the young ladies at social gatherings, but he always seemed distracted

Maybe, after all this time, Tom would stop seeming so lost. He had been slightly lost when Quartermain died and losing the man a second time must have dealt its blow of renewed guilt. And now that Skinner and Nemo were locked away somewhere, he seemed to be lost even more losing probably two men he counted among his closest friends. Hopefully, no more tragedy would strike someone who had every right to be so alive and happy.

Now they were sitting in Henry's study drinking copious amounts of brandy. Mina had gone upstairs to rest at the insistence of both men. With the study door succinctly locked, there was no fear of a staff member or Mina walking in on them. Tom was sitting behind his desk, with his feet up on the aforementioned desk. Henry, himself, was sitting at the piano.

"And then, we got hungry and decided to come home and not be pirates for now. We got to town and it seemed deserted. Everyone was the church and we snuck up into the choir loft and they were having our funeral. They thought we were dead instead of searching the little islands like they should have!"

Henry laughed as Tom finished the story of how the entire town had turned out for his and Huck's funeral when they weren't dead at all. Tom took another long drink of his brandy.

"However, there always was the time that we tried to help Jim escape, because we thought he was being held prisoner and we went through all the elaborate things people do in books, because I thought he ought to. Then we found out that he really was free and we didn't have to go all that trouble anyways. Of course," he paused. "I don't think Huck and Jim really understood what all the theatrics about that were." He sipped the brandy. "Of course that was when my uncle thought that I was Huck and Huck was me. Then Aunt Polly showed up and straightened him out."

"It's much more interesting than my childhood."

Tom looked shocked. "Oh come on! You must have done something adventurous."

Henry shook his head. "No. I was the normal upper middle class English child. Had a strong work ethic instilled from an early age and spent most of my time outside of school doing homework and reading."

"Were you an only child?"

He nodded. "Not because my parents wanted me to be. My mother died when I was still very small- I don't remember her. And then my father never remarried."

"Well, I don't remember my parents," Tom commiserated. "They died when I was a baby and I grew up with Aunt Polly. But then again, I had Huck and all the guys back home then and we were pretty much like brothers."

"I don't think I had any close friends until I got out of medical school."

It was Tom's turn to shake his head. "That's always hard." He paused again. "Say, did I ever tell you I was engaged to Becky when I was ten?"

"You were engaged to Becky when you were ten?" Henry smiled. He had heard about the inimitable Becky over the past years.

"Well, it was more of a game than anything else. She broke it off because she found I had been 'engaged' to another girl before her. That was when we ran away to become pirates. She was actually at our funeral." Tom smiled to himself.

"Did you see her when you were there at Christmas?"

The younger man slowly shook his head. "No. I was afraid to see her. I was afraid that she had gotten married since I went to Washington DC and then met you lot. Her father was always adamant that she had to make a respectable marriage and I don't think I was what he would have referred to as a respectable marriage."

"Two years ago, I don't think any of us would have been 'respectable marriage' material. We all had our own problems."

Tom smiled. "When I first joined the League, I thought I was the only normal person there, the only one with a clean background."

"You had as many problems as the rest of us, they just weren't as magnified as everything that was going on in our lives."

"Are you glad that Hyde is gone?"

Henry gave him a withering look. "What do you think? I am eternally grateful that that nightmarish period of my life is over. Hyde took too many people that were dear to me and I did not want him turning on Mina." He paused, thoughtfully. "She actually instigated the reintegration process. She's a smart one."

"I know."

And he did know. Tom must have heard the story of how they killed Dracula and got Hyde to reintegrate dozens of times. And yet, he was always the attentive audience when that story got launched into again. Tom and Hasaan had never repeated the story of how the police took the Nautilus and how Nemo and Skinner ended up behind bars. No one wanted that story repeated and they all knew it subconsciously in their hearts. He could only hope that one day both of them would be released and the League could be something resembling whole once more.

"What I never found out," Tom continued. "Is how that rosary survived."

Henry laughed. "I don't know either. It didn't stop the Count because it hadn't been blessed by a priest and it had just a cross, not a crucifix. And then I transformed… I really can't say how it survived all of that."

"You know, I never thought you two would accomplish anything out there. I thought you'd be coming back to the Nautilus with nothing done."

Henry laughed. "And we got back to the Nautilus and found what we least expected."

"Well, if I was you, I certainly would not have expected that." He paused. "Although those police officers were rather stupid. Trying to starve us out… we would have all probably died of starvation first than come out of there… Nemo would have gone in an instant, he just did not want them taking his ship."

"Do you really blame him?"

"After the scare with M stealing his science… no."

Henry smiled and refilled his glass from the decanter sitting on a small table near one of his packed bookshelves. Life seemed so much better now that Hyde was gone- he had burned all the notebooks and journals on the formula and destroyed the remaining formula. Mina was no longer a vampire- no headaches from sunlight, no craving blood and no fear of church and religion anymore.

"I sent Becky a letter a while ago."

"Really?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I asked her to marry me." Henry nearly choked on the sip of brandy he was taking, but managed to disguise it. "I got a letter from her saying that she was coming here as soon as she could and then I got a telegram. She's going to be here in two days."

"Two days?"

"We're going to get married the day she gets here."

"Dear God… why didn't you say anything before?" Tom shrugged. Henry smiled. "Well, congratulations! When were you planning on telling us?"

Tom returned the smile. "Eventually."

Henry smiled. Perhaps, Tom would find what he wanted as well. Perhaps this marriage was the thing he needed to settle down. "Do you have anything planned other than the ceremony?"

"No."

Henry shook his head. "I suppose Mina and I can take care of that for you. I can't believe you didn't tell us sooner."

"Neither do I."

The two men exchanged a grin and realized that perhaps this was the last piece they needed to pick up before they could leave their old lives completely behind.

_The End._

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading and reviewing 'Picking Up the Pieces.' As you have seen in my little disclaimer at the beginning of each chapter, LXG and all the characters and ideas associated with it are copyright of 20th Century Fox. However, the characters of Hasaan, Mrs. O'Malley, Father Fitzgibbon, Abby McCourtney and Tommy Jekyll belong to me. You may use them in your work if you like them, however I beseech you to ask for my permission and give me credit for creating them. I have several more ideas for LXG fics in the works, so keep an eye out for either a sequel to this one or a totally new one that I am cooking up. See you guys around the site! Cheers- Etcy


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